Computational Fluid Dynamics of Cerebrospinal Fluid.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays a critical role in the healthy function of the brain, yet the mechanics of CSF flow remain poorly understood. Computational fluid dynamics is a powerful tool capable of resolving the spatiotemporal evolution of CSF pressures and velocities, but technical and methodological limitations have limited the clinical use of CFD to date. With improvements in medical imaging, computational power, and machine learning, however, CFD may be on the cusp of breaking through into the medical mainstream. In this chapter, we will review the applications of CFD of CSF, present our methodological recommendations for conducting CFD of CSF, present the results of a novel CFD methodology incorporating patient-specific tissue displacements, and discuss the barriers and pathways to clinically useful CFD simulation.