A QCT-Based Nonsegmentation Finite Element Head Model for Studying Traumatic Brain Injury
Date
2015-1-29
Authors
Liang, Zhaoyang
Luo, Yunhua
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Abstract
In the existing finite element head models (FEHMs) that are constructed from medical images, head tissues are usually segmented into a number of components according to the interior anatomical structure of the head. Each component is represented by a homogenous material model. There are a number of disadvantages in the segmentation-based finite element head models. Therefore, we developed a nonsegmentation finite element head model with pointwise-heterogeneous material properties and corroborated it by available experiment data. From the obtained results, it was found that although intracranial pressures predicted by the existing (piecewise-homogeneous) and the proposed (pointwise-heterogeneous) FEHM are very similar to each other, strain/stress levels in the head tissues are very different. The maximum peak strains/stresses predicted by the proposed FEHM are much higher than those by the existing FEHM, indicating that piecewise-homogeneous FEHM may have underestimated the stress/strain level induced by impact and thus may be inaccurate in predicting traumatic brain injuries.
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Zhaoyang Liang and Yunhua Luo, “A QCT-Based Nonsegmentation Finite Element Head Model for Studying Traumatic Brain Injury,” Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, vol. 2015, Article ID 837585, 8 pages, 2015. doi:10.1155/2015/837585