Three Dimensional Poroelastic Simulation Of Brain Edema: Initial Studies On Intracranial Pressure

Brain edema is one of the most common consequences of serious head injury because of the enhancement of water content and thus the increased brain volume. Once the brain compensation mechanisms have been exhausted, the intracranial pressure (ICP) will increase exponentially because the brain is enclosed in the rigid skull. Previous research suggests that the poroelastic theory provides a solution for studying the fluid flow in the brain. In this paper, poroelastic theory is used to study the intracranial pressure distribution due to traumatic brain edema by a detailed 3D finite element brain model.