This study compares a vigorous shaking and an inflicted impact, defined as the terminal portion of a vigorous shaking, using a finite element model of a 6-month-old child head. Whereas the calculated values in terms of shearing stress and brain pressure remain different and corroborate the previous studies based on angular and linear velocity and acceleration, the calculated relative brain and skull motions that can be considered at the origin of a subdural haematoma show similar results for the two simulated events. Finite element methods appear as an emerging tool in the study of the biomechanics of head injuries in children.

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There is controversy regarding the influence of the benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space on intracranial injuries in the field of the shaken baby syndrome. In the literature, several terminologies exists to define this entity illustrating the lack of unicity on this theme, and often what is "benign" enlargement is mistaken with an old subdural bleeding or with abnormal enlargement due to brain pathology. This certainly led to mistaken conclusions. To investigate the influence of the benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space on child head injury and especially its influence on the bridging veins, we used a finite element model of a 6-month-old child head on which the size of the subarachnoid space was modified. Regarding the bridging veins strain, which is at the origin of the subdural bleeding when shaking an infant, our results show that the enlargement of the subarachnoid space has a damping effect which reduces the relative brain/skull displacement. Our numerical simulations suggest that the benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space may not be considered as a risk factor for subdural bleeding.

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This paper investigates a biomechanical aspect of human hand during grasping, using the finiteelement method. A realistic three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model of a human hand is developed, including wrist bones, phalanges, soft tissues and skin, reconstructed from medical computed tomography (CT) scan images. Material laws of the literature have been implemented in the model, in order to be able to simulate a simple activity of grasping. In a human design context, this model allows an interesting biomechanical study, which simulates the grasping task in a biofidelic manner. This model is a first step in the modeling of the human hand that can lead to future studies dealing with the interaction of the hand with its environment for the improvement of safety requirements of future products development.

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