Cerebral bridging vein rupture in humans:​ an experimental evaluation

Depreitere, B.<sup>1</sup>; Van Lierde, C.<sup>2</sup>; Verschueren, P.<sup>2</sup>; Delye, H.<sup>1</sup>; Berckmans, D.<sup>3</sup>; Verpoest, I.<sup>4</sup>; Vander Sloten, J.<sup>2</sup>; Van der Perre, G.<sup>2</sup>; Goffin, J.<sup>1</sup>

Affiliations

¹Division of Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, K.U. Leuven, Belgium

²Division of Biomechanics and Engineering Design, K.U. Leuven, Belgium

³Laboratory for Agricultural Buildings Research, K.U. Leuven, Belgium

⁴Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, K.U. Leuven, Belgium

Abstract and keywords

A well known cause of death and disability after head trauma is the occurrence of an acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) due to bridging vein rupture. In the past, damage to the bridging veins and ASDH has been shown to be related to angular acceleration of the head in the sagittal plane. The objective of the present study was to establish critical peak angular accelerations in short duration impacts on the head (<15ms), typical for falls and collisions. 18 tests were performed. The results complement impact data from Löwenhielm. Moreover, the tolerance criteria for bridging vein disruption suggested by Löwenhielm are confirmed for short pulse durations. The first states that the peak angular acceleration cannot exceed 4500 rad/s². The second constitutes a limitation of the change in angular velocity to 40 rad/s. If both of these conditions are fulfilled, the integrity of the bridging veins is said to be assured.

Keywords: bridging vein rupture, acute subdural haematoma, head impact

Links

DOI: 10.1007/1-4020-3796-1_31

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Cited By (3)

Year	Entry
2011	Mallory A, Herriott R, Rhule H. Subdural hematoma and aging: crash characteristics and associated injuries. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 13-16, 2011; Washington, DC.
2021	Fernandes FAO, Alves de Sousa RJ, Ptak M. Numerical aspects of subdural haematoma modeling and prediction. In: Proceedings of the 2021 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 8-10, 2021; Online.355-356.
2018	Oeur RA. The Effects of Reconstructed Head Impact Event Parameters on Risk of Sport Related Concussions [PhD thesis]. Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa; 2018.