Parametric Study of Head Impact in the Infant

The authors developed a finite element model (FEM) of the infant head to study skull fracture from occipital impacts. They determined the relative importance of brain material properties and anatomical variations in infant suture and scalp tissue on principal stress estimates in the skull of the model using parametric simulations of occipital impacts from 0.3m falls onto concrete. Validation of this model against published infant cadaver drop studies found good agreement with the prediction of fracture for falls onto hard surfaces. More biomechanical data from impacts onto softer surfaces is needed before skull fracture predictions can be made in these scenarios. It was determined that the pediatric FEM response is not sensitive to small variations in anatomy or brain modulus. Large deviations will significantly influence principal stress estimated and the prediction of skull fracture.

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  • English

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  • Accession Number: 01102879
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 9780768019742
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 18 2008 10:51AM