1988 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Magnetic resonance imaging of pulsatile flow of cerebrospinal fluid and its relation to intracranial pressure

Research Project

Project/Area Number	62480311
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Cerebral neurosurgery
Research Institution	Nagoya City University
Principal Investigator	OHARA Shigeki Nagoya City University Medical School, 医学部, 助手 (80169044)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	BANNO Tatsuo Nagoya City University Medical School, 医学部, 講師 (50117850) NAGAI Hajime Nagoya City University Medical School, 医学部, 教授 (00023747)
Project Period (FY)	1987 – 1988
Keywords	Cerebrospinal fluid / Flow dynamics / Intracranial pressure / MRI / ICP
Research Abstract	It has been shown that cerebrospinal fluid (cSF) flowing in the cranial cavity loses its signal on magnetic resonance (MR) images. This is termed the "signal-voidphenomenon (SVP)". We noted some relationships between the SVP and the level of the intracranial pressure (ICP). In 289 neurosurgecal patients, the MR studies focused on the presence of the SVP. The SVP was observed frequently in the MR images of patients with C M ommunicating hydrocephalus who showed normal intracranial pressure (ICP), whereas the svp was observed rarely in patients with highICP, such as those with a supratentorial tumor. In another 25 patients, the patterns of the signal intensity changes were examined in relation to the cardiac cycle by MR images triggered by electrocardiography (EKG) waves. These studies showed that the peak velocity of caudal CSF flow was observed within 200 msec after the R-wave of EKG. In the oter 9 patients, ICP measurement were added to EKG-triggered NR imaging the timing of the maximum velocity of pulsatile CSF flow coincided with the timing of the highest peak of ICP waves in the patients with normal ICP. While in the patientswith high ICP, These timings did not coincide each other. Itmay be possible to estimate ICP noninvasively by observation of the patterns of CSF signal intensity change on EKG-triggered MR studies.