Medico-legal Analysis of the Head Injuries Using Computer Simulation

• Project/Area Number: 61570291
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: FUJIWARA Satoshi Kobe University School of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (20173487)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): UENO Yasuhiro Kobe University School of Medicine, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (30184956) ; YANAGIDA Yasuyoshi School of Allied Medical Sciences, Kobe University, Associate Professor, 医療技術短期大学部, 助教授 (50031373) ; MIZOI Yasuhiko Kobe University School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (00030809)
• Project Period (FY): 1986 – 1987
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 1990)
• Budget Amount: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000); Fiscal Year 1987: ¥300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 1986: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
• Keywords: Cerebral contusion / Computer simulation / Blow / Fall / Intracranial pressure / change / Acceleration

Research Abstract

1. Computer Simulation of a Human Head. To investigate a change of the acceleration and the pressure at the each point of the intracranial space of the head which incurred an impact force, we made up a computer simulation of the human head using a mathematical model. For the purpose of achieving this study, we made an elasticodynamic model in which a constant of the skull and one of the brain were determined respectively. We made use of the Finite Element Method to compute the results of the acceleration and pressure at the site of the intracranial space of the head.
2. Blow and Fall Experiment using a physical model of the head and neck.
The same magnitude of the impact force was given to the median occipital region in both the experiments. The intracranial pressure at the impact site was positive in both the experiments and the magnitude of the pressure was not significantly different between them. The one at the opposite site of the impact was negative in both the experiments and the magnitude of it was almost the same. The duration of the intracranial pressure was longer in the fall experiment than in the blow experiment at both the impact site and the opposite site, especially at the opposite site. In the blow experiments using a heavy hammer and a light one in which the magnitude of the impact force was the same each other, the duration of the impact force and the acceleration was longer in the heavy hammer than in the light one, and the magnitude of the intracranial pressure at both the impact site and the opposite site was greater and the duration of the intracranial pressure at both sites was shorter in the heavy one than in the light one.
3. Studies on Head Injuries in the Fatal Cases by Blow, Fall and Fall Down.
In blows a lateral region of the head was frequently impacted and a posterior region was in the almost all cases of falls down. The coup contusions were more easily caused than the contrecoup contusions in blows and the contrecoup contusions were more easily done than the coup contusions in falls and falls down, especially falls down. Depressed or communited fractures were often observed in blows and linear fractures were in falls down.