Temporal Stability of Blood Flow Patterns in Cerebral Aneurysms Quantified with 2D Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging In-Vivo

Christof Karmonik¹, Yi J. Zhang¹, Orlando Diaz², Richard Klucznik², David Purdy³, Robert G. Grossman¹

Complex flow patterns in cerebral aneurysms have been identified by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies to potentially be predictive of aneurysm rupture. Here, we quantified the stability of blood flow patterns in cerebral aneurysms in vivo based on flow features in 2D pcMRI images in seven aneurysms. A stability index (SI) defined as the area fraction (in percent) exhibiting sign changes of the through-plane velocity was calculated. Average SI range was 1.3%-20.6%. Average SI and aneurysm size were linearly correlated (R=0.796). Further studies are warranted to explore the potential of the average SI as a marker for aneurysm rupture.