Mechanically Regulated Cranial Growth in Infancy: A Computational Approach to Predicting Craniosynostosis

TL;DR

This paper presents a computational model simulating infant cranial growth driven by mechanical forces, predicting skull development and abnormalities like craniosynostosis, aiding understanding and treatment planning.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanically-driven growth model that integrates soft tissue mechanics, bone properties, and brain expansion to predict cranial development and disorders.

Findings

Model accurately predicts craniosynostosis-related skull deformities.

Stress analysis reveals biomechanical impacts of suture fusion.

Sensitivity analysis shows material properties influence skull shape outcomes.

Abstract

In early years of life, the cranium rapidly changes in size and shape to accommodate brain growth, primarily driven by mechanical stress from brain expansion. Developmental disorders such as premature fusion of sutures in craniosynostosis, disrupts normal growth process, leading to abnormal skull shapes. Thus, understanding the interplay between biomechanical forces, soft tissues, and individual bone plates is crucial for understanding their role in shaping infant skulls. This study develops a mechanically-driven growth model to simulate healthy cranial growth in the first year. The algorithm considers simultaneous and coupled growth of brain, cranial bones, sutures, with volumetric brain expansion as the primary driver, with strain-based feedback governing growth in bone and suture tissues. A bulk bone formation approach accounts for evolving mechanical properties, with elastic moduli of bone and sutures increasing monthly. The model was applied on individual fused sutures and skull dysmorphologies due to craniosynostosis were predicted, and results showed good agreement with clinically observations. Stress at bone-suture interfaces and elevated intracranial pressure under fused sutures highlighted biomechanical impacts due to the disorders. Sensitivity analysis explored how material properties and growth rates affect skull shape. This framework enhances understanding of cranial growth and supports treatment planning for craniosynostosis.