DYNAMICS OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID IN THE SUBRACHNOID SPACE WITHIN SPINAL CAVITY

摘要

In this paper, a computational study was carried out to investigate the CSF dynamics in the spinal cavity. A theoretical and computational model was developed to simulate the pulsatile CSF flow and the deformation of the spinal cavity that results from transmission of the CSF pulse wave from the cranial cavity. Under a pulsatile pressure gradient, the velocity profile of the flow is blunt for large Womersley numbers, while for small Womersley numbers the velocity profile is parabolic. The phase relationship between the pressure and the velocity is also related to Womersley number. This is the first step to understand the pulsatile dynamics of the CSF in the spinal cavity and will help explain the cause of related diseases and improve the clinical treatment.