Title Towards patient anatomy-based simulation of Net cerebrospinal fluid flow in the intracranial compartment
Authors Misiulis, Edgaras ; Džiugys, Algis ; Barkauskienė, Alina ; Preikšaitis, Aidanas ; Ratkūnas, Vytenis ; Skarbalius, Gediminas ; Navakas, Robertas ; Iešmantas, Tomas ; Alzbutas, Robertas ; Lukoševičius, Saulius ; Šerpytis, Mindaugas ; Lapinskienė, Indrė ; Sengupta, Jewel ; Petkus, Vytautas
DOI 10.3390/app16020611
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Is Part of Applied sciences.. Basel : MDPI. 2026, vol. 16, iss. 2, art. no. 611, p. 1-20.. ISSN 2076-3417
Keywords [eng] finite element method ; computational fluid dynamics ; cerebrospinal fluid ; subarachnoid space ; patient-specificity ; periarterial space
Abstract [eng] Biophysics-based, patient-specific modeling remains challenging for clinical translation, particularly for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow where anatomical detail and computational cost are tightly coupled. We present a computational framework for steady net CSF redistribution in an MRI-derived cranial CSF domain reconstructed from T2-weighted imaging, including the ventricular system, cranial subarachnoid space, and periarterial pathways, to the extent resolvable by clinical MRI. Cranial CSF spaces were segmented in 3D Slicer and a steady Darcy formulation with prescribed CSF production/absorption was solved in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Geometrical and flow descriptors were quantified using region-based projection operations. We assessed discretization cost–accuracy trade-offs by comparing first- and second-order finite elements. First-order elements produced a 1.4% difference in transmantle pressure and a <10% difference in element-wise mass-weighted velocity metric for 90% of elements, while reducing computation time by 75% (20 to 5 min) and peak memory usage five-fold (150 to 30 GB). This proof-of-concept framework provides a computationally tractable baseline for studying steady net CSF pathway redistribution and sensitivity to boundary assumptions, and may support future patient-specific investigations in pathological conditions such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, hydrocephalus and brain tumors.
Published Basel : MDPI
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2026
CC license CC license description