HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mehta, N. R. Articles by Melhem, E. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mehta, N. R. Articles by Melhem, E. R. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Physiologic Variations in Dural Venous Sinus Flow on Phase-Contrast MR Imaging

¹ Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287.
² Present address: Boston University School of Medicine, 88 E. Newton St., Boston, MA 02118.

OBJECTIVE. Our study quantifies normal physiologic variations of dural sinus flow using phase-contrast MR imaging.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Fifteen volunteers were imaged using nontriggered and triggered phase-contrast MR venography of the superior sagittal and transverse sinuses. Triggered scans were obtained during regular breathing; nontriggered scans were obtained during regular breathing, breath-holding, deep inspiratory breath-holding, and deep expiratory breath-holding. Analysis of variance, Bonferroni method, and Dunn post hoc analysis were used to determine any significant differences in the mean flow and velocity between the different breathing maneuvers. A paired t test was used to compare flow between sinuses during regular breathing.

RESULTS. Deep inspiratory breath-holding and deep expiratory breath-holding resulted in a significant decrease in blood flow and velocity in all dural sinuses compared with regular breathing. During deep inspiratory breath-holding, blood flow decreased 30.8% in the superior sagittal sinus, 19.7% in the left transverse sinus, and 19.1% in the right transverse sinus. Similarly, during deep expiratory breath-holding, blood flow decreased 30.2% in the superior sagittal sinus, 20.8% in the left transverse sinus, and 20.3% in the right transverse sinus. The sum of the flow in the transverse sinuses was significantly greater than in the sagittal sinus. Normal pulsatility of dural sinus blood velocity was also characterized for all measured sinuses.

CONCLUSION. Characterization of variations in dural sinus velocity and flow as a function of the cardiac cycle and breathing maneuvers, using phase-contrast MR imaging, may help separate physiologic from pathologic changes of flow resulting from conditions that influence the cerebrovascular circulation.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Kudo, S. Terae, A. Ishii, T. Omatsu, T. Asano, K. Tha, and K. Miyasaka Physiologic Change in Flow Velocity and Direction of Dural Venous Sinuses with Respiration: MR Venography and Flow Analysis AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., April 1, 2004; 25(4): 551 - 557. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. G. Wetzel, V. S. Lee, A. G. S. Tan, O. Heid, S. Cha, G. Johnson, and N. M. Rofsky Real-Time Interactive Duplex MR Measurements: Application in Neurovascular Imaging Am. J. Roentgenol., September 1, 2001; 177(3): 703 - 707. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]