title: Physical phantom of craniospinal hydrodynamics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inside the craniospinal system, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interactions occurring through volume exchanges are still not well understood. We built a physical model of this global hydrodynamic system. The main objective was to study, in controlled conditions, CSF-blood interactions to better understand the phenomenon underlying pathogenesis of hydrocephalus.
  
  
  METHODS
  A structure representing the cranium is connected to the spinal channel. The cranium is divided into compartments mimicking anatomical regions such as ventricles or aqueduct cerebri. Resistive and compliant characteristics of blood and CSF compartments can be assessed or measured using pressure and flow sensors incorporated in the model. An arterial blood flow input is generated by a programmable pump. Flows and pressures inside the system are simultaneously recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preliminary results show that the model can mimic venous and CSF flows in response to arterial pressure input. Pulse waveforms and volume flows were measured and confirmed that they partially replicated the data previously obtained with phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. The phantom shows that CSF oscillations directly result from arteriovenous flow, and intracranial pressure measurements show that the model obeys an exponential relationship between pressure and intracranial volume expansion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The phantom will be useful to investigate the hydrodynamic hypotheses underlying development of hydrocephalus.
authors: Imaging and Biophysics Unit, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Bouzerar
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Czosnyka
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Czosnyka
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Balédent
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002535:Cerebral Aqueduct / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D015170:Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D010808:Physical Examination