Dr Srdjan Cirovic
Academic and research departments
Centre for Environmental and Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering.天美传媒
Biography
Srdjan Cirovic obtained his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Begrade, Serbia, and his MSc (Biomedical Engineering) and PhD (Aerospace Engineering, 2001) from the University of Toronto, Canada.
Between 1996 and 2003 he worked as a research consultant at DRDC (Defence Research and Development Canada) on the effect of G-forces on the cardiovascular system of fighter pilots. Dr Cirovic was a research associate at the University of Sheffield between 2003 and 2005 before assuming lectureship at the 天美传媒 in 2006.
He is the Lead of Biomedical Engineering UG Programme and teaches biomechanics, movement analysis, and structural mechanics. His research interests lie in using computer models to understand the role of mechanical stimuli in the etiology of pathological conditions and in the therapeutic effect of high-amplitude pressure waves.
ResearchResearch interests
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear liquid which surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. CSF flows in a pulsatile manner, driven by the cardiac cycle: in systole CSF is displaced from the cranium into the spinal compartment, in diastole the recoil of the elastic spinal dura mater drives CSF back into the cranium. In pathological situations the communication between the cranial and spinal CSF spaces is compromised and this sometimes results in abnormal accumulation of the fluid in the spinal cord. The fluid-filled cavities (syrinx, syringes) expand with time resulting in sensory loss and in some cases paralysis. The pathogenesis is still unknown which is the main reason why surgical interventions aimed at managing this condition have limited success. My analytical and computer-modelling studies are aimed at gaining better understanding of why and how pathological fluid-filled cavities form, and how they can be managed surgically in the most effective way.
Shock wave therapy is a relatively new therapeutic method used to treat a range of medical conditions. The method emerged from the idea to focus high amplitude pressure waves on kidney stones in order to break them without surgical intervention. Later, the application of the method was expanded to musculoskeletal disorders such as inflammation of connective tissue in the foot (plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis). In spite of its widespread use, the mechanisms through which shock wave therapy acts to relieve inflammation of connective tissue are still unknown. My main interest is in 鈥渞adial shock wave therapy鈥 in which the pressure waves are generated through collision between two metal objects: an air driven projectile, and an applicator which is in direct contact with the skin. Unlike the more traditional 鈥渇ocused shockwave therapy鈥 where the whole energy is concentrated on a single point, in radial wave therapy pressure waves propagate in all directions and quickly lose intensity as they penetrate from the origin at the skin鈥檚 surface into the interior of the body. My experimental, analytical, and modelling studies are aimed at gaining better understanding of the mechanical stimuli generated by this therapeutic technique and of its biological effects.
Research interests
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear liquid which surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. CSF flows in a pulsatile manner, driven by the cardiac cycle: in systole CSF is displaced from the cranium into the spinal compartment, in diastole the recoil of the elastic spinal dura mater drives CSF back into the cranium. In pathological situations the communication between the cranial and spinal CSF spaces is compromised and this sometimes results in abnormal accumulation of the fluid in the spinal cord. The fluid-filled cavities (syrinx, syringes) expand with time resulting in sensory loss and in some cases paralysis. The pathogenesis is still unknown which is the main reason why surgical interventions aimed at managing this condition have limited success. My analytical and computer-modelling studies are aimed at gaining better understanding of why and how pathological fluid-filled cavities form, and how they can be managed surgically in the most effective way.
Shock wave therapy is a relatively new therapeutic method used to treat a range of medical conditions. The method emerged from the idea to focus high amplitude pressure waves on kidney stones in order to break them without surgical intervention. Later, the application of the method was expanded to musculoskeletal disorders such as inflammation of connective tissue in the foot (plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis). In spite of its widespread use, the mechanisms through which shock wave therapy acts to relieve inflammation of connective tissue are still unknown. My main interest is in 鈥渞adial shock wave therapy鈥 in which the pressure waves are generated through collision between two metal objects: an air driven projectile, and an applicator which is in direct contact with the skin. Unlike the more traditional 鈥渇ocused shockwave therapy鈥 where the whole energy is concentrated on a single point, in radial wave therapy pressure waves propagate in all directions and quickly lose intensity as they penetrate from the origin at the skin鈥檚 surface into the interior of the body. My experimental, analytical, and modelling studies are aimed at gaining better understanding of the mechanical stimuli generated by this therapeutic technique and of its biological effects.
Teaching
- ENG2097 Biomechanics
- ENG2096 Aircraft Structures & Aeroelasticity
- ENG2125 Design Skills
- ENG2136 Design, Make, and Evaluate
- ENG3173 Clinical Rehabilitation
Publications
O. V. Griffiths, M. K. Catacutan, H. A. Kader, F. H. Labeed, R. Lewis, S. Cirovic, M. P. Hughes. Macrophages sense and follow physiologically relevant K and Na gradients: how induced dipoles and ionotaxis may explain electrotaxis. Cell Communication and Signaling, In Press
R. Jones, S. Cirovic, C. Rusbridge. MRI-derived three-dimensional modelling reveals cervicothoracic subarachnoid space narrowing in syringomyelia-affected cavalier king charles spaniels. BMC veterinary research. 2026 Apr 1.
R. Hoque, S. Cirovic, M. P. Hughes, F .H. Labeed. Electrophysiological fingerprints of healthy cervical epithelial and HeLa cells: Membrane potential, zeta potential and passive electrical properties. Plos One, 17;20(12):e0337538, 2025
R Hoque, F. H. Labeed, S Cirovic, M. P. Hughes. Evaluating refrigeration and antibiotic treatment for maintaining urine electrophysiology. Plos One, 20(2):e0319089, 2025
R. Jones, S. Cirovic, C. Rusbridge. A review of cerebrospinal fluid circulation with respect to Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in brachycephalic dogs. Fluids and Barriers of the CNS; 22(1):25, 2025
S. Cirovic, C. Rusbridge. Slosh simulation in a computer model of canine syringomyelia. Life, 11(10):1083, 2021
S. Cirovic, R. Lloyd, J. Jovanovik, H.A. Volk, C. Rusbridge. Computer simulation of syringomyelia in dogs. BMC veterinary research, 14(1):82, 2018
S. Cirovic., D.H. Gould., D. H. Park, M. C. Solan, M. C. Cadaveric experiments to evaluate pressure wave generated by radial shockwave treatment of plantar fasciitis. Foot and Ankle Surgery, 23(4), 285-289, 2017.
A. Humphries, S. Cirovic, A. Shaheen. Shoulder Bone Geometry Affects the Active and Passive Axial Rotational Range of the Glenohumeral Joint. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(13): 3010-3019, 2017.
Z. Alkhamaali, S. Cirovic, A. Crocombe, Finite Element Modelling of Radial Shock Wave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis, Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 19(10):1069-78, 2016.
S. Cirovic and M. Kim, A One-Dimensional Model of the Spinal Cerebrospinal-Fluid Compartment. ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 134(2): 021005, 2012
S. Cirovic, A coaxial tube model of the cerebrospinal pulse propagation in the spinal column. ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 131(2): 021008, 2009.
Cirovic S, Bhola RM, Hose DR, Howard IC, Lawford PV, Marr JE, Parsons MA. Computer modelling study of the mechanism of optic nerve injury in blunt trauma. British journal of ophthalmology. 2006;90(6):778-83.
S. Cirovic, C. Walsh, and W.D. Fraser. A mathematical study of the role of non-linear venous compliance in the cranial volume-pressure test. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing, 41(5): 579-588, 2003.
S. Cirovic, C. Walsh, W.D. Fraser, and A. Gulino. The effect of posture and positive pressure breathing on the hemodynamics of the internal jugular vein. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, 74(2): 125-131, 2003.
S. Cirovic, C. Walsh, and W.D. Fraser. Wave propagation through a system of coaxial tubes: A model of pulse propagation in the intracranial arteries. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 16(8): 1029-1049, 2002.
S. Cirovic, C. Walsh, and W.D. Fraser. A mathematical model of cerebral perfusion subjected to Gz acceleration. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, 71(5): 514-521, 2000.