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Multiscale mechanical characterisation of the craniofacial system under external forces
Marius Didziokas1, Dominic Jones2, Ali Alazmani2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK. marius.didziokas.20@ucl.ac.uk.
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology
|January 13, 2024
Summary
Minimally invasive skull loading may prevent premature suture fusion by causing plastic deformation. This research quantifies the mechanical forces involved, aiding clinical translation for treating craniosynostosis in children.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Premature fusion of craniofacial sutures (craniosynostosis) is a significant pediatric condition requiring surgical intervention.
- Minimally invasive external skull loading shows promise as a non-invasive treatment for craniosynostosis.
- Understanding the mechanical deformation induced by external loading is critical for treatment efficacy and scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biomechanical effects of external skull loading on craniofacial sutures in a mouse model.
- To quantify the level of deformation and strain across sutures during minimally invasive treatment.
- To establish a fundamental understanding of how mechanical forces influence bone formation and suture fusion.
Main Methods:
- Development of a custom in vivo and ex vivo loading setup for mouse skulls.
- Implementation of novel in situ computed tomography (CT) strain estimation using digital volume correlation.
- Multiscale characterization of loading effects on normal and craniosynostotic mouse models.
Main Results:
- External skull loading can disrupt bone formation across sutures via plastic deformation.
- Observed permanent deformations in the coronal suture correlated with estimated strain levels.
- The study quantifies the mechanical forces associated with preventing premature cranial joint fusion.
Conclusions:
- Minimally invasive external loading represents a promising approach for craniosynostosis treatment.
- Understanding the precise mechanical deformations is key to optimizing this non-invasive therapy.
- This research provides crucial insights for the clinical translation of skull loading to human patients.
