[Cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics and the potential of phase-contrast MRI in syringomyelia]

Cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics are not fully understood. However, it is well known, that flow dynamics play a crucial role in development and treatment of a wide variety of diseases in the central nervous system, among them, syringomyelia. Hence, in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms underlying flow dynamics is of great interest to improve diagnostics, prognostics, and to assess treatment efficacy. In this review we argue, that phase-contrast MRI may have these attributes, as it introduces detailed non-invasive qualitative and quantitative information on cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics.