Cooling Penetration Surrounding an Intra-Parenchymal Cooling Probe in Hypothermia Treatment for Ischemia or Head Injury Patients: Theoretical Analyses

Inducing hypothermia to brain tissue after brain ischemia or head injury has been demonstrated beneficial to the patients. Clinical studies have shown that even 1 or 2°C temperature reduction in brain tissue can be protective [Dietrich 1992]. On the contrary, fever-induced hyperthermia can worsen the neurological outcome in an animal model after cerebral ischemia. It is of clinical importance to understand the temperature distribution in brain during brain hypothermia.