Intracranial cerebrospinal fluid spaces imaging using a pulse-triggered three-dimensional turbo spin echo MR sequence...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Radiology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces are crucial for brain health.
• Accurate assessment of CSF volume and distribution is vital for diagnosing neurological conditions like hydrocephalus.
• Advanced imaging techniques are needed to better visualize and quantify these spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of the three-dimensional turbo spin echo with variable flip-angle distribution magnetic resonance sequence (SPACE) for imaging intracranial CSF spaces.
• To assess the ability of the SPACE sequence to characterize CSF distribution patterns in healthy volunteers and patients with hydrocephalus.

Main Methods:

• Prospective investigation of 18 healthy volunteers and 25 patients (20 with communicating hydrocephalus (CH), 5 with non-communicating hydrocephalus (NCH)) using the SPACE sequence at 1.5T.
• Acquisition of volume rendering views for intracranial and ventricular CSF.
• Qualitative evaluation of subarachnoid CSF distribution and quantitative calculation of CSF volumes and ratios.

Main Results:

• Observed three distinct patterns of subarachnoid CSF distribution.
• Healthy volunteers showed narrowed CSF spaces in the occipital area.
• Patients with NCH exhibited diffuse narrowing, while CH patients had narrowing at the high midline convexity.
• Significantly different ratios between ventricular and subarachnoid CSF volumes were found among the groups.

Conclusions:

• The SPACE MRI sequence is effective for visualizing and assessing intracranial CSF spaces.
• Distinct CSF distribution patterns can be identified in healthy individuals and patients with different types of hydrocephalus.
• Assessment of CSF volume and distribution using SPACE may aid in characterizing hydrocephalus.