Virtually peeling off the skull and scalp: a simple way of mapping the superficial cerebral veins on the brain surface.
OBJECTIVE
A simple MRI postprocessing technique was developed to display superficial cerebral veins (SCVs) along with brain surface structures.


METHODS
Thirty-one consecutive patients with brain tumors were studied. All patients underwent brain MR examination, from which three-dimensional (3D) images were reconstructed. Simulation images of craniotomy were created by cutting away the signal from the skull and scalp at the region corresponding to the window planned for surgery. Detectability of the SCVs was evaluated by comparing the simulation images with intraoperative photographs. Reasons for those undetectable SCVs on simulation images of craniotomy were discussed.


RESULTS
Detectability of the SCVs >2 mm was 100%; those from 1 to 2 mm was 88.5%, and those from 0.5 to 1 mm 56.9%. Effacement of cortical sulci/subarachnoid space around the supposed craniotomy site, dural/meningeal contrast enhancement and insufficient spatial resolution of the source images were regarded as the main reasons for undetectable SCVs.


CONCLUSIONS
Virtually peeling off the skull and scalp well demonstrates the SCVs along with brain surface structures. This simple technique can provide useful information about the SCVs and their relationships with cortical structures and tumors for preoperative surgical planning.
Department of Radiology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. cjr.gxy@hotmail.com
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Gong
S
S
Higano
S
S
Mugikura
A
A
Umetsu
T
T
Murata
T
T
Kumabe
S
S
Takahashi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002648:Child; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012535:Scalp / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*; D055815:Young Adult