Biomedical Engineering

Department of Engineering

For patients with serious head injury an increase in pressure in the brain can lead to crippling injuries and death. In extreme cases 'decompressive craniectomy' surgery is performed, where part of the skull is removed (and replaced later, either with the original skull section or with metal). However it is not clear to what extent such surgery benefits patients, and how best to optimise the amount of skull removed. We are exploring these questions using a mix of mechanical modelling, image analysis and histology. This work is part of a larger clinical study RescueICP led by Mr Peter Hutchinson to identify benefits of such surgery.

The picture (courtesy F Servadei) illustrates how the brain matter can extend outside the original skull envelop, easing pressure in the brain.

Mr. Peter Hutchinson Consultant Neurosurgeon, NHS
Dr. Michael Sutcliffe Department of Engineering