Thermal finite element analysis of localized hypothermia treatment of the human eye

D Gongal; S Thakur; A Panse; P Shankarrao; J A Stark; J R Hetling; B Ozgen; C D Foster

doi:10.1016/j.medengphy.2022.103928

Thermal finite element analysis of localized hypothermia treatment of the human eye

Med Eng Phys. 2023 Jan:111:103928. doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2022.103928. Epub 2022 Nov 24.

Authors

D Gongal¹, S Thakur², A Panse¹, P Shankarrao², J A Stark¹, J R Hetling³, B Ozgen⁴, C D Foster⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Materials Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
² Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
³ Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁵ Department of Civil and Materials Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: fosterc@uic.edu.

PMID: 36792243
DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2022.103928

Abstract

Localized hypothermia treatment can reduce the risk of vision loss due to ocular trauma. Hypothermia reduces inflammation and metabolic rate, and improves blood flow to prevent nerve and tissue damage. This paper presents a finite element thermal analysis to determine the efficacy of local hypothermia treatment administered using a scleral eye contact ring that acts as a heat sink. A realistic model of the human eye orbit, including fat and muscle, is created using MRI scans. A simplified CAD-based model is also created based on the first model. A transient analysis is performed by lowering the contact surface between the device and the eye to 4^∘C. The study shows that the device lowers the temperature of the optic nerve head to a therapeutic range of 32-34^∘C in less than 10 min of treatment, hence supporting the efficacy of such a device.

Keywords: Finite element method; Ocular trauma; Therapeutic hypothermia; Thermal analysis.

MeSH terms

Finite Element Analysis
Humans
Hypothermia*
Temperature