ECG Gating Is More Precise Than Peripheral Pulse Gating When Quantifying Spinal CSF Pulsations Using Phase Contrast Cine MRI.

Purpose: To compare accuracy of spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pulsatile flow measurements at cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels using Phase Contrast Cine MRI (PCCMRI) with retrospective electrocardiogram (recg) vs. retrospective peripheral pulse gating (rppg) gating.

Methods: We scanned 10 healthy volunteers, ages 23-46 years, using external recg-gated or rppg-gated 2D PCCCMRI at 3T.

The relationships among spinal CSF flows, spinal cord geometry, and vascular correlations: evidence of intrathecal sources and sinks.

We studied relationships of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) pulsatile flow at cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels using phase-contrast cine MRI (PCCMRI) to determine the following: ) instantaneous and average net flows at cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels, ) stochastic correlations of CSF flow with major arterial supplies and major draining veins, and ) whether adjustments of cord-flow curves-using cord cross-sectional areas, caudal lengths, and caudal volumes-would normalize flow curves from different levels. We scanned 15 healthy volunteers without anesthesia, ages 23-46 yr, using external, retrocardiac-gated, two-dimensional PCCMRI at 3T. Transverse scans of the subarachnoid space, arteries, and veins were acquired and analyzed at cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels.