Francesco Santini1, Tilman Schubert2, Klaus Scheffler1, Stephan G. Wetzel2
1Radiological Physics, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland; 2Neuroradiology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Three-directional time-resolved measurements of cerebro-spinal fluid flow patterns, possible thanks to a custom balanced steady-state free precession phase-contrast sequence, offer new possibilities in the study of diseases like hydrocephalus or Chiari malformation. In this work, flow patterns in the third ventricle acquired in healthy volunteers are compared to a dataset acquired in a patient suffering from a long-standing three-ventricular hydrocephalus. Significant differences are found, and, in the pathological case, the flow measurement proved the existance of an inner shunt through the floor of the third ventricle, not visible by standard anatomical imaging.