A simple mathematical model of the interaction between intracranial pressure and cerebral hemodynamics

A simple mathematical model of intracranial pressure (ICP) dynamics oriented to clinical practice is presented. It includes the hemodynamics of the arterial-arteriolar cerebrovascular bed, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production and reabsorption processes, the nonlinear pressure-volume relationship of the craniospinal compartment, and a Starling resistor mechanism for the cerebral veins. Moreover, arterioles are controlled by cerebral autoregulation mechanisms, which are simulated by means of a time constant and a sigmoidal static characteristic. The model is used to simulate interactions between ICP, cerebral blood volume, and autoregulation. Three different related phenomena are analyzed: the generation of plateau waves, the effect of acute arterial hypotension on ICP, and the role of cerebral hemodynamics during pressure-volume index (PVI) tests. Simulation results suggest the following: 1) ICP dynamics may become unstable in patients with elevated CSF outflow resistance and decreased intracranial compliance, provided cerebral autoregulation is efficient. Instability manifests itself with the occurrence of self-sustained plateau waves. 2) Moderate acute arterial hypotension may have completely different effects on ICP, depending on the value of model parameters. If physiological compensatory mechanisms (CSF circulation and intracranial storage capacity) are efficient, acute hypotension has only negligible effects on ICP and cerebral blood flow (CBF). If these compensatory mechanisms are poor, even modest hypotension may induce a large transient increase in ICP and a significant transient reduction in CBF, with risks of secondary brain damage. 3) The ICP response to a bolus injection (PVI test) is sharply affected, via cerebral blood volume changes, by cerebral hemodynamics and autoregulation. We suggest that PVI tests may be used to extract information not only on intracranial compliance and CSF circulation, but also on the status of mechanisms controlling CBF.