Usefulness of phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis and treatment evaluation in patients with SIH

Background: Most diagnostic tools for spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) are either invasive or occasionally inconsistent with the clinical condition. In this study, we examined the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics in SIH using phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PC-MR) imaging. Materials and method: Seventeen SIH patients and 32 healthy individuals, matched by sex and age, were recruited. Each person underwent brain and PC-MR imaging using 3-Tesla MRI. We evaluated the differences in image parameters among patients during the initial and recovery stages against the status of the control group. Results: SIH patients had lower CSF flow-volume, flux, peak velocity, and higher systolic-to-diastolic time ratio, as well as systolic-to-diastolic volume ratio compared to the control group and the conditions when they recovered. The flow time and volume of the diastolic phase markedly increased after treatment. The discriminating power of PC-MR for SIH was good. Diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement and venous engorgement were present when their PC-MR values were lower than the cut-off values for SIH diagnosis. The headache scores correlated with the peak velocity and pituitary volume. Conclusion: Noninvasive PC-MR could provide valid parameters for diagnosis and treatment follow-up in SIH patients. It may be more sensitive than conventional brain MRI.