ISMRM21 - PC-MRI: Measuring Flow in the Brain

PC-MRI: Measuring Flow in the Brain

Sunrise Session

ORGANIZERS: Nivedita Agarwal, Karin Markenroth Bloch

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

Concurrent 7

14:00 - 15:00

Moderators: Koichi Oshio

Skill Level: Basic to Advanced

Session Number: S-04b

Parent Session: Hot Topics in MRI of the Brain

Session Number: S-04b

Overview
This session provides an update on phase-contrast MRI which allows to study and quantify CSF, arterial blood, and venous blood flow parameters in brain and spine.

With help of two speakers, one physicist and one clinician, the session will provide basic understanding of the PC-MRI sequence and its application to CSF and blood flow in brain and spine. It will present the parameters measured with PC-MRI that can be used for clinical or research purposes and will also give an overview of neurological disorders where patient diagnosis and management may benefit from investigations of flow in the brain and spine.

Target Audience
Researchers, medical doctors, and neurosurgeons who are interested in the study of MRI-based CSF and blood flow parameters, both for diagnosis and management of diseases such as Chiari malformation, hydrocephalus, and other diseases characterized by intracranial hypotension or hypertension.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe the basic phase contrast sequence and its limitations;
- Interpret PC-MRI based quantification of flow and velocity;
- Apply PC-MRI to the clinical routine; and
- Develop research strategies for a better understanding for intracranial pressure.

		PC-MRI: State-of-the-Art Techniques Watch the Video Olivier Baledent Cerebral hydrodynamics knowledge has benefited considerably from the introduction of phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PCMRI), the unique technique to investigate CSF and cerebral blood flows oscillations. Using post-processing software, key parameters of flow can be easily calculated. These flows data can be functional information’s complementary to the morphological imaging to better investigate the cranio-spinal system. The objective of this presentation is to describe the power and the limit of such clinical 2D PCMRI protocol concerning CSF and blood flow investigations in different healthy and pathological populations.
		4D PC MRI in the brain: basics and applications Watch the Video Susanne Schnell Phase-contrast MRI and its extension to 4D flow MRI will be explained. Flowing spins, for example from flowing blood, appear as an artifact in the image. However, by understanding the characteristics of flowing spins, their appearance can be utilized. Phase-contrast MRI is sensitized to flow by using a series of bipolar gradients affecting the phase signal of spins that flow with a uniform velocity in the direction parallel to the gradients. By utilizing ECG gating, fluid flow velocities can be measured in a time-resolved manner. After successful correction of phase errors and velocity aliasing, the fluid dynamics can be quantified.