Computational modelling of brain shift in stereotactic neurosurgery

Navigation in stereotactic neurosurgery relies solely on preoperative images, with the location of anatomical targets defined relative to the skull. Displacement of the anatomical target from its expected position is a common complication during surgery; however, the magnitude of this deviation is currently unpredictable. One potential source of this error occurs with reorientation of the head alone and is known as positional brain shift (PBS). PBS is the focus of this thesis, which aims to better understand the phenomenon through computational methods. A finite element (FE) model was generated in FEBio, incorporating a novel spring element/fluid structure-interaction representation of the pia-arachnoid complex (PAC). The model was loaded to represent gravity in the prone and supine positions. Material parameter identification and sensitivity analysis were performed using statistical software, comparing the FE results to human in-vivo measurements. Results for the brain Ogden parameters