Ss. Margulies et Kh. Thibault, Infant skull and suture properties: Measurements and implications for mechanisms of pediatric brain injury, J BIOMECH E, 122(4), 2000, pp. 364-371
Citations number
24
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary
Journal title
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
The mechanical properties of the adult human skull are well documented, but
little information is available for the infant skull. To determine the age
-dependent fchanges in skull properties, we tested human and porcine infant
cranial bone in three-point bending. The measurement of elastic modulus in
the human and porcine infant cranial bone agrees with and extends previous
published data [McPherson, G. K., and Kriewall, T.J. (1980), J. Biomech, 1
3, pp. 9-16] for human infant cranial bone. After confirming that the porci
ne and human cranial bone properties were comparable, additional tensile an
d three-point bending studies were conducted on porcine cranial bone and su
ture. Comparisons of the porcine infant data with previously published adul
t human data demonstrate that the elastic modulus, ultimate stress, and ene
rgy absorbed to failure increase, and the ultimate strain decreases with ag
e for cranial bone. Likewise, we conclude that the elastic modulus, ultimat
e stress and energy absorbed to failure increase with age for sutures. We c
onstructed two finite element models of an idealized one-month old infant h
ead, one with pediatric and the other adult skull properties, and subjected
them to impact loading to investigate the contribution of the cranial bone
properties on the intracranial tissue deformation pattern. The computation
al simulations demonstrate that the comparatively compliant skull and membr
anous suture properties of the infant brain case are associated with large
cranial shape changes, and a more diffuse pattern of brain distortion than
when the skull takes on adult properties. These studies are a fundamental i
nitial step in predicting the unique mechanical response of the pediatric s
kull to traumatic loads associated with head injury and, thus, for defining
head injury thresholds for children. [S0148-0731(00)00904-3].