Haemodynamic modelling for the arterial pulsatile component of the intracranial pulse wave.

Vasospasm of cerebral arteries narrows the amplitude of the intracranial pressure wave, indicating that the arterial segment of the cerebral circulation is partially responsible for its formation. We investigated the fundamental mechanism of pressure pulse transmission from an artery to the surrounding environment. A mathematical model was derived expressing the amplitude of container pulsation (delta Po) as a function of mean intraluminal pressure (MPi), mean container pressure (MPo) and arterial pulse amplitude (delta Pi): delta Po = (-2(MPi - MPo) + b) (MPo + 1) delta Pi. This mathematical model was experimentally validated using an in vivo system of a single artery sealed inside a fluid-filled elastic container.