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Dynamics of hydrocephalus: a physical approach

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Abstract

As brain ventricles lose their ability to regulate the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, serious brain conditions collectively named hydrocephalus can appear. By modelling ventricular dynamics with the laws of physics, dynamical instabilities are evidenced, caused by either CSF transport dysregulations or abnormal properties of the elasticity of the ependyma. We show that these instabilities would lead, in most cases, to dilation of the ventricles, establishing a close connection to hydrocephalus, or in some other cases to a ventricular contraction as observed in the slit ventricle syndrome. Signs seem to indicate the possibility of phase transitions occurring as a result of these instabilities, which might have important clinical consequences, such as the inability to recover a healthy state. Even so, our dynamical approach could allow the development of a unified view of these complex intracranial conditions along with a classification that might be clinically relevant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Physique des Systèmes Complexes, Département de Physique, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 33 rue Saint-Leu, 80039, Amiens, France

    Robert Bouzerar & Issyan Tekaya

  2. Laboratoire de Biophysique et Traitement de l’Image, Centre Hospitalier Nord, Place Victor Pauchet, 80000, Amiens, France

    Roger Bouzerar & Olivier Balédent

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  1. Robert Bouzerar
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  2. Issyan Tekaya
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  3. Roger Bouzerar
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  4. Olivier Balédent
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Correspondence to Issyan Tekaya.

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Bouzerar, R., Tekaya, I., Bouzerar, R. et al. Dynamics of hydrocephalus: a physical approach. J Biol Phys 38, 251–266 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10867-011-9239-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10867-011-9239-3

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