Finite Element Analysis of Intracranial Pressure under the influence of Brain Tumor

Abstract

Intracranial pressure (ICP) is an important biomarker in neurosurgical and pathological studies. The stability of ICP is extremely random and unpredictable within the cranium, especially when a pathology is present such as cerebral edema, hematoma or tumor. Since intracranial compartments, i.e., blood, brain and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are nearly incompressible, therefore, any net change in one compartment, such as in the case of brain tumor (whereby total mass of brain increases), induces a corresponding rise in pressure due to compression of volume of another compartment. This pressure-volume relationship is non-linear inter-alia due to an early compliance mechanism provided by CSF. However, after exhaustion of this compliance mechanism, ICP rises drastically. Most studies in literature do provide an analysis and inter-se relationship of ICP biomechanics and pathologies. However, little work is done in modeling ICP correlation, if any, in presence of a growing tumor. This study, in view of the foregoing, attempts to provide a finite-element-based model (FEM) of patient diagnosed with an early stage brain tumor in left temporal region. The model incorporates non-linear ICP dynamics inside the cranium, together-with considering the growing tumor pressures on the brain parenchyma. The proposed computational numerical model exploits the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling technique which is used to include and combine both structural (brain tumor and parenchyma) and fluid (CSF) interactions. Results suggest that there is a considerable influence of tumor in brain damage. The magnitude of this deformation goes up to 5 micrometers which is notable for closed head cases. Magnitude of ICP inside cranium goes up to 1442 Pascals (10.81 mmHg) which, though being under the normal range of ICP (15 mmHg), is still significant considering that since this thesis addresses the case of tumor which is in its early stages. The framework presented in this work can also be beneficial in modeling other cases such as hematoma, cerebral edema etc. The study will also be useful for clinical experts in making informed decisions prior to any surgical intervention.