Reassessment of brain elasticity for analysis of biomechanisms of hydrocephalus

This paper presents results from a finite element study of the biomechanics of hydrocephalus, with special emphasis on a reassessment of the parenchyma elastic modulus. A two-dimensional finite element model of the human brain/ventricular system is developed and analysed under hydrocephalic loading conditions. It is shown that the Youngʹs modulus of the brain parenchyma used in previous studies (3000–10000 Pa) corresponds to strain rates much higher than those present in hydrocephalic brains. Consideration of the brainʹs viscoelasticity leads to the derivation of a considerably lower modulus value of approximately 584 Pa.