title: Magnetic resonance imaging quantitation of superior sagittal sinus flow: correlation to cerebral blood flow measured by xenon-enhanced computed tomography.
abstract: We compared measurements of venous blood flow velocity in the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) obtained by xenon-enhanced CT, in neurosurgical patients and normal volunteers, to assess the clinical usefulness of MRI for determination of CBF. Flow measurements were obtained in 15 neurosurgical patients and 3 normal volunteers. SSS velocimetry was performed using the direct bolus imaging technique with a 1.5-tesla MRI system near the point of lambda on a sagittal MR image. Quantitative CBF was measured by xenon-enhanced CT and correlated with SSS flow velocity. We also examined the effect of surgical evacuation of a hematoma or cranioplasty in 3 patients, mannitol in 5 patients and acetazolamide in 4 patients by performing SSS velocimetry. The peak SSS flow velocity during the entire cardiac cycle was 27.2 +/- 6.3 cm sec-1 (mean +/- SD) in normal volunteers and 23.5 +/- 8.9 cm sec-1 in patients. The SSS flow velocity increased after surgery. Mean SSS peak flow velocity increased by 24% and 48% at 10 min after administration of mannitol and acetazolamide, respectively. SSS peak flow velocity showed significant linear correlations with both cerebral cortical (r = 0.74) and hemispheric flows (r = 0.73). Our results suggest that SSS flow velocity reflects CBF and that MRI assessment of SSS flow provides a simple method for assessing and monitoring global changes in cerebral hemodynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuchiwaki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
mesh_terms: D000086:Acetazolamide; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016477:Artifacts; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006408:Hematoma, Subdural / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008353:Mannitol; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014978:Xenon
chemical_list: D014978:Xenon; D008353:Mannitol; D000086:Acetazolamide