Modelling and structural analysis of skull/cranial implant: beyond mid-line deformities

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cranial implants are crucial for skull defect reconstruction.
• Understanding mechanical behavior under intracranial pressure (ICP) is vital for implant design.
• Finite element analysis (FEA) offers a powerful tool for simulating biomechanical responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To computationally model and analyze cranial implant performance under varying intracranial pressure (ICP) conditions.
• To investigate the influence of implant fixation points on deformation and stress.
• To evaluate different biomaterials for cranial implants based on mechanical response.

Main Methods:

• Patient CT data was used to create patient-specific mesh models via Mimics software.
• Implant designs with varying fixation points (8 and 10) were developed using Rhinoceros software.
• FEA was performed in ANSYS 15, evaluating Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V), PMMA, and PEEK under normal and elevated ICP.

Main Results:

• FEA simulations quantified deformation and equivalent stress (von Mises) for each material.
• Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) exhibited lower deformation.
• Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) demonstrated significantly lower equivalent stress, indicating superior performance.

Conclusions:

• The study established a computational framework for evaluating cranial implant biomechanics.
• PEEK material shows promising mechanical properties for cranial implant applications.
• Future work involving 3D printed models could enhance clinical relevance and surgical planning.