Medical hypotheses
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We assessed the changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hydrodynamics caused by barriers to CSF circulation, and determined the relationship between CSF velocity and intracranial pressure in the aqueduct of the midbrain. This was determined by correlating the CSF peak flow velocity with the intracranial pressure (ICP) obtained from a lumbar puncture (LP) procedure. The CSF peak flow velocity was measured by finger pulse-gated cine-phase contrast (PC) MR scan 8-12 hours after LP was performed in 28 patients. ⋯ However, varying degrees of the hydrocephalus were observed in those patients who demonstrated a cranial direction of the CSF net flow. Our results indicate that non-invasive measurement of the CSF peak flow with cine-PC MR imaging can be related to the change of CSF circulation caused by the obstructions to the CSF circulation in the patients with various neurological disorders. This unique method may be a substantially useful tool to assess the changes in the ICP in the directional pattern.