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Author Spotlight: Noninvasive Cerebral Blood Flow Determination in Human Functional Brain Region for Diagnosis of Neurological Disorders
Published on: May 31, 2024
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Hydrocephalus decreases arterial spin-labeled cerebral perfusion
K W Yeom1, R M Lober2, A Alexander2
1From the Departments of Radiology (K.W.Y.) kyeom@stanford.edu.
AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology
|March 22, 2014
Summary
Arterial spin-labeled cerebral blood flow (CBF) was reduced in children with hydrocephalus and improved after treatment. This perfusion imaging may help monitor intracranial pressure noninvasively.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Cerebrovascular Physiology
Background:
- Elevated intracranial pressure is linked to reduced cerebral perfusion.
- Arterial spin-labeling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate arterial spin-labeling CBF as a potential marker for symptomatic hydrocephalus in children.
- To assess the relationship between ASL-CBF and ventricular size.
- To determine if ASL-CBF changes after hydrocephalus alleviation.
Main Methods:
- Compared ASL-CBF in children with posterior fossa tumors and intracranial hypertension to controls.
- Measured ASL-CBF in the cerebrum, deep gray nuclei, and periventricular white matter.
- Assessed ASL-CBF changes before and after hydrocephalus treatment in symptomatic patients.
Main Results:
- Children with uncompensated hydrocephalus showed significantly lower ASL-CBF in all brain regions compared to controls.
- ASL-CBF increased significantly after alleviation of hydrocephalus.
- A greater distance between frontal horns correlated with lower cerebral ASL-CBF.
Conclusions:
- ASL-CBF is reduced in children with uncompensated hydrocephalus.
- ASL-CBF normalizes after hydrocephalus treatment, indicating its responsiveness.
- ASL-CBF perfusion MRI shows promise as a non-invasive tool for monitoring hydrocephalus and intracranial pressure.
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