Comparison of MADYMO and physical models for brain injury reconstruction

Brain injury is researched using physical, mathematical, anatomical, and computational models. However, there has been little research to quantify the expected differences between these methods of brain injury research. The purpose of this research was to compare the brain deformation responses of identical traumatic brain injury (TBI) reconstructions, which were conducted first with Mathematical Dynamic Models (MADYMO) and then again with a Hybrid III headform. The ensuing finite element modelling was done using the University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model. The brain deformation parameters were analysed in discrete regions of interest which matched the TBI lesion as identified on computed tomography scans of the subject. The results indicated that overall the Hybrid III provided responses which were of considerably larger magnitude than the MADYMO simulation for all metrics analysed. The larger magnitude responses are likely a product of the more rigid nature of the Hybrid III in comparison to the MADYMO simulations. Interestingly, when the results are compared to the literature, the Hybrid III results match well with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and TBI research, while the MADYMO simulations produce what would be considered very low local brain deformation responses for TBI lesions.