MR flow analysis in the measurements of CSF production rate and intracranial pressure

二維相位對比磁振造影已經證實在不 同的顱內病理中可以有效評估腦脊髓液的 流體動態。如將大腦導水管內腦脊髓液之 流速對應於時間作圖，吾人可發現在流速 波形中有一小尖峰之存在，並且此尖峰在 正常腦壓性水腦、正常受試者、以及交通 性水腦病患中皆不一致。在此計畫中，我 們將小尖峰的存在情形以 0, 1, 2 加以定 性分類，分別代表小尖峰不存在、大約存 在、以及明顯存在三種等級，而後探討此 種分級與各流體參數之間的相對關係。由 此並進一步討論腦脊髓液壓力波的傳遞在 小尖峰波形表現上的影響。如能瞭解其關 係，將對於「以腦脊髓液小尖峰估算顱內 壓」之目標有所幫助。Two-dimensional cine phase-contrast MRI has been demonstrated effective in the evaluation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hydrodynamics in different intracranial pathological conditions. In the aqueduct of Sylvius from which the CSF velocity-to-time curve was calculated and calibrated, we noticed that the existence of a notch waveform which is different in normal pressure hydrocephalus patients (NPH), normal healthy subjects, and communicating hydrocephalus (CH) patients. According to the flow patterns, we scaled into 0, 1 and 2 score for non-existing, mild, and significant presence, respectively, of the notch waveform. The purpose of this project is to correlate the hydrodynamic parameters derived from the CSF flow pattern in a cardiac cycle with the presence of notch, and further to discuss the possibility to investigate the transmission of pressure wave. Through an understanding of the relationship, an analysis of the notch waveform in CSF hydrodynamics may have potential in estimating intracranial pressure