Reproduction Analysis of Injury Condition Using Finite Element Modeling of the Head in Cases With Traumatic Higher Brain Dysfunction Caused by Traffic Accidents

Abstract

Following head trauma caused by traffic accidents, many patients are unable to completely recover their social functions due to higher brain dysfunction although they are able to return home. To predict the onset and severity of post-traumatic higher brain dysfunction, the visualization of responsible injury is considered urgent. In this study, we focused on five patients with higher brain dysfunction following head trauma caused by traffic accidents to establish a method for quantitatively evaluating higher brain dysfunction. The injury conditions were reproduced on the basis of multibody dynamic and collision analyses using finite element (FE) modeling of the human head to determine mechanical responses inside the cranium of these patients. The strain on the frontal lobe generated by an injury condition was suggested to contribute to the onset of attention disturbance during the chronic phase of medical treatment. Reproduction analysis of the injury conditions using FE modeling of the head could predict the onset and severity of traumatic higher brain dysfunction.