Quantitative imaging biomarkers for dural sinus patterns in idiopathic intracranial hypertension
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Published on: July 5, 2021
Dinah Zur1, Reut Anconina2, Anat Kesler1
1Division of Ophthalmology Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel.
Objective:
To quantitatively characterize transverse dural sinuses (TS) on magnetic resonance venography (MRV) in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), compared to healthy controls, using a computer assisted detection (CAD) method.
Materials And Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed MRV studies of 38 IIH patients and 30 controls, matched by age and gender. Data analysis was performed using a specially developed Matlab algorithm for vessel cross-sectional analysis. The cross-sectional area and shape measurements were evaluated in patients and controls.
Results:
Mean, minimal, and maximal cross-sectional areas as well as volumetric parameters of the right and left transverse sinuses were significantly smaller in IIH patients than in controls (p < .005 for all). Idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients showed a narrowed segment in both TS, clustering near the junction with the sigmoid sinus. In 36% (right TS) and 43% (left TS), the stenosis extended to >50% of the entire length of the TS, i.e. the TS was hypoplastic. Narrower vessels tended to have a more triangular shape than did wider vessels.
Conclusion:
Using CAD we precisely quantified TS stenosis and its severity in IIH patients by cross-sectional and volumetric analysis. This method can be used as an exact tool for investigating mechanisms of IIH development and response to treatment.
