Synchronous quantification of arterial, venous, and cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics using real-time phase-contrast MRI

作者：Leonardo A. Rivera‐Rivera, B. Collick, Tomas Vikner, Sterling C. Johnson, Kevin M. Johnson · 发表于：Fluids and Barriers of the CNS · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12987-025-00722-0 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications、Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus、Functional Brain Connectivity Studies

BACKGROUND: Neurofluid flow dynamics are frequently studied from asynchronous blood and CSF flow measurements from real-time imaging using separate phase contrast (PC) MRI scans. Asynchronous measures can be influenced by changes in heart rate, respiration, and other physiological processes, obfuscating neurofluids assessment. Here we present an approach for synchronous measures of neurofluids using simultaneous real-time 2D PC MRI and investigated the effects of different breathing patterns on synchronous and asynchronous blood and CSF flow in a group of healthy participants. METHODS: Interleaved dual-velocity encoding 2D PC MRI with retrospective real-time reconstruction was utilized for synchronous neurofluid measures during free breathing, paced breathing and breath holds. Data were collected on a clinical 3.0T scanner at the level of C1/C2 vertebrae in 10 participants. From real-time images, flow rates repeated measures, and cardiac and respiratory flow power were assessed using Bland-Altman, power spectral analyses, and breathing pattern group differences. Neurofluids coupling from cross-correlation between arterial and venous blood and CSF flow signals were quantified from synchronous and asynchronous measures. Real-time images were re-binned to the cardiac cycle and compared to high-temporal resolution cardiac-resolved images in terms of flow rate, pulsatility index, and stroke volume. RESULTS: Flow repeatability was highest in free breathing scans and in arteries and...