Rapid amplification of cerebrospinal fluid pressure as a possible mechanism for optic nerve sheath bleeding in infants with non-accidental head injury

Stewart, Peter, Brook, Bindi, Jensen, Oliver, Spelman, Tamsin, Whittaker, Robert ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9598-5938 and Zouache, Moussa (2024) Rapid amplification of cerebrospinal fluid pressure as a possible mechanism for optic nerve sheath bleeding in infants with non-accidental head injury. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 65 (12). ISSN 0146-0404

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Abstract

PURPOSE. Subdural hemorrhage along the optic nerve (ON) is a histopathological indicator of abusive head trauma (AHT) in infants. We sought to determine if this bleeding could be caused by an abrupt increase in intracranial pressure transmitted to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the optic foramen (OF). METHODS. A theoretical model is developed to simulate the effect of a pressure perturbation of maximal amplitude P applied at the optic foramen for a short duration T on the CSF-filled ON subarachnoid space (ONSAS). The ONSAS is modelled as a fluid-filled channel with an elastic wall representing the flexible ONSAS–arachnoid/dura interface. A constitutive law describing the relationship between CSF pressure and ONSAS deformation is inferred from published measurements. CSF pressure profiles along the ONSAS are examined systematically over a broad range of P and T. RESULTS. The pressure perturbation initiated at the OF produces a pressure wave that stretches the ONSAS. This wave propagates rapidly along the ONSAS toward the scleral end of the ON, where it is reflected back toward the brain. For sufficiently small T a shock wave with amplification up to six times larger than P over a timescale of tens of milliseconds is observed at the scleral end of the ON. Comparatively smaller amplifications are observed for slower perturbations. CONCLUSIONS. A sudden increase in CSF pressure in the cranial cavity can cause a rapid expansion of the ONSAS, which may lead to rupture of the bridging blood vessels. Our study predicts a plausible mechanism for subdural hemorrhage that occurs in abusive head trauma in infants.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Data Accessibility: This article has no experimental data. Numerical data for the figures in this paper was generated using MATLAB 2022b and can be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.5525/gla.researchdata.1565. Acknowledgments: This work was initiated at the 2014 Mathematics in Medicine Study Group held at Isaac Newton Institute, University of Cambridge, which was funded by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs, UK) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) POEMS network EP/L001101/1. PSS and TAS acknowledge funding from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) grant EP/P024270/1. PSS acknowledges funding from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) grants EP/N014642/1, EP/S030875/1 and EP/T017899/1.
Uncontrolled Keywords: csf flows,optic nerve hemorrhage,retinal hemorrhage,theoretical modelling,ophthalmology,sensory systems,cellular and molecular neuroscience ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2731
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Mathematics (former - to 2024)
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Fluid and Solid Mechanics (former - to 2024)
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Fluids & Structures
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 14 Oct 2024 16:30
Last Modified: 07 Nov 2024 12:47
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97015
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.12.9

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