Colloquia

Summary

This thesis investigates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow within the optic nerve subarachnoid space (ONSAS) to better understand pressure transmission between the brain and the eye, which is relevant for diseases such as glaucoma and papilledema. A workflow combining MRI-based geometry reconstruction, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulations, and quantitative analysis was developed. After validating the numerical approach with an analytical test case, CSF flow was simulated in four patient-specific ONSAS geometries. The results showed that anatomical variations strongly influence pressure gradients, flow rates, and hydraulic resistance. Under identical pressure drops, resistances differed by up to a factor of eight. The findings suggest that geometric differences in the ONSAS may alter intracranial pressure transmission to the optic nerve head, potentially contributing to optic nerve pathologies even in patients with normal intracranial or intraocular pressures.