title: Failure and Fatigue Properties of Immature Human and Porcine Parasagittal Bridging Veins.
abstract: Tearing of the parasagittal bridging veins (BVs) is thought to be a source of extra-axial hemorrhage (EAH) associated with abusive traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children. However, the pediatric BV mechanical properties are unknown. We subjected porcine adult, porcine newborn, and human infant BVs to either a low rate pull to failure, a high rate pull to failure, or 30 s of cyclic loading followed by a pull to failure. An additional subset of human infant BVs was examined for viscoelastic recovery between two cycling episodes. We found that human infant BVs are stronger than porcine BVs, and BV mechanical properties are rate dependent, but not age dependent. Successive cyclic loading to a uniform level of stretch softened BVs with decaying peak stresses, and shifted their stress-stretch relationship. These data are critical in understanding BV tissue behavior in accidental and abusive trauma scenarios, which in turn may clarify circumstances that may be injurious to young children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 240 Skirkanich Hall, 210 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6321, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3615-7902
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pasquesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 240 Skirkanich Hall, 210 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6321, USA. margulie@seas.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Margulies
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002102:Cadaver; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D013045:Species Specificity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013552:Swine; D013718:Tensile Strength / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Abusive head trauma; Brain injury; Child abuse; Hemorrhage; Mechanical properties; Pediatric trauma