Clinical value of neuroimaging indicators of intracranial hypertension in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis.

PURPOSE: Intracranial hypertension (IH) frequently complicates cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Distinct neuroimaging findings are associated with IH, yet their discriminative power, reversibility and factors favoring normalization in prospective CVT patients are unknown. We determined test performance measures of neuroimaging signs in acute CVT patients, their longitudinal change under anticoagulation, association with IH at baseline and with recanalization at follow-up. METHODS: We included 26 consecutive acute CVT patients and 26 healthy controls. Patients were classified as having IH based on CSF pressure > 25 cmH2O and/or papilledema on ophthalmological examination or ocular MRI. We assessed optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), optic nerve tortuousity, bulbar flattening, lateral and IVth ventricle size, pituitary configuration at baseline and follow-up, and their association with IH and venous recanalization. RESULTS: 46% of CVT patients had IH. ONSD enlargement > 5.8 mm, optic nerve tortuousity and pituitary grade ≥ III had highest sensitivity, ocular bulb flattening and pituitary grade ≥ III highest specificity for IH. Only ONSD reliably discriminated IH at baseline. Recanalization was significantly associated with regressive ONSD and pituitary grade. Other neuroimaging signs tended to regress with recanalization. After treatment, 184.9 ± 44.7 days after diagnosis, bulbar flattening resolved, whereas compared with controls ONSD enlargement (p < 0.001) and partially empty sella (p = 0.017), among other indicators, persisted. CONCLUSION: ONSD and pituitary grading have a high diagnostic value in diagnosing and monitoring CVT-associated IH. Given their limited sensitivity during early CVT and potentially persistent alterations following IH, neuroimaging indicators can neither replace CSF pressure measurement in diagnosing IH, nor determine the duration of anticoagulation.

The non-paretic-hand-to-opposite-ear test: A simple test to detect aphasia and neglect and an indicator of large anterior vessel occlusion in patients with suspected acute stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Aphasia and neglect in combination with hemiparesis are reliable indicators of large anterior vessel occlusion (LAVO). Prehospital identification of these symptoms is generally considered difficult by emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. Therefore, we evaluated the simple non-paretic-hand-to-opposite-ear (NPE) test to identify aphasia and neglect with a single test. As the NPE test includes a test for arm paresis, we also evaluated the diagnostic ability of the NPE test to detect LAVO in patients with suspected stroke. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, we performed the NPE test in 1042 patients with suspected acute stroke between May 2021 and May 2022. We analyzed the correlation between the NPE test and the aphasia/neglect items of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Additionally, the predictive values of the NPE test for LAVO detection were calculated. RESULTS: The NPE test showed a strong, significant correlation with both aphasia and neglect. A positive NPE test result predicted LAVO with a sensitivity of 0.70, a specificity of 0.88, and an accuracy of 0.85. Logistic regression analysis showed an odds ratio of 16.14 (95% confidence interval 10.82-24.44) for predicting LAVO. CONCLUSION: The NPE test is a simple test for the detection of both aphasia and neglect. With its predictive values for LAVO detection being comparable to the results of LAVO scores in the prehospital setting, this simple test might be a promising test for prehospital LAVO detection by EMS personnel. Further prospective prehospital validation is needed.

Interrelation Between Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure, Intracranial Morphology and Venous Hemodynamics Studied by 4D Flow MRI.

PURPOSE: To quantify the effects of CSF pressure alterations on intracranial venous morphology and hemodynamics in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) and assess reversibility when the underlying cause is resolved. METHODS: We prospectively examined venous volume, intracranial venous blood flow and velocity, including optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) as a noninvasive surrogate of CSF pressure changes in 11 patients with IIH, 11 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls and 9 SIH patients, before and after neurosurgical closure of spinal dural leaks. We applied multiparametric MRI including 4D flow MRI, time-of-flight (TOF) and T2-weighted half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo-spin echo (HASTE). RESULTS: Sinus volume overlapped between groups at baseline but decreased after treatment of intracranial hypotension (p = 0.067) along with a significant increase of ONSD (p = 0.003). Blood flow in the middle and dorsal superior sagittal sinus was remarkably lower in patients with higher CSF pressure (i.e., IIH versus controls and SIH after CSF leak closure) but blood flow velocity was comparable cross-sectionally between groups and longitudinally in SIH. CONCLUSION: We were able to demonstrate the interaction of CSF pressure, venous volumetry, venous hemodynamics and ONSD using multiparametric brain MRI. Closure of CSF leaks in SIH patients resulted in symptoms suggestive of increased intracranial pressure and caused a subsequent decrease of intracranial venous volume and of blood flow within the superior sagittal sinus while ONSD increased. In contrast, blood flow parameters from 4D flow MRI did not discriminate IIH, SIH and controls as hemodynamics at baseline overlapped at most vessel cross-sections.

Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Formation Secondary to Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment Using 4D-Combo-MR-Venography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) can develop secondary to cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). The incidence of DAVF has not yet been investigated prospectively. METHODS: Between July 2012 and January 2018, combined static and dynamic 4D MR venography (4D-combo-MRV) was performed in 24 consecutive patients at diagnosis of CVT and after 6 months. 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging with time of flight and contrast-enhanced magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo were performed at baseline to evaluate the extent of thrombosis and affected vessel segments. Baseline and follow-up 4D-combo-MRV were assessed for signs of DAVF. Interrater reliability of DAVF detection and the extent of recanalization were analyzed with kappa statistics. RESULTS: DAVFs were detected in 4/30 CVT patients (13.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3-26.7). Two of 24 patients (8.3%, 95% CI: 0-20.8) had coincidental DAVF with CVT on admission. At follow-up, de novo formation of DAVF following CVT was seen in 2/24 patients (8.3%, 95% CI: 0-20.8). Both de novo DAVFs were low grade and benign fistulae (Cognard type 1, 2a), which had developed at previously thrombosed segments. Endovascular treatment was required in two high degree lesions (Cognard 2a + b) detected at baseline and in one de novo DAVF (Cognard 1) because of debilitating headache and tinnitus. Thrombus load, vessel recanalization, and frequency of cerebral lesions (hemorrhage, ischemia) were not associated with DAVF occurrence. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study showed that de novo DAVF formation occurs more frequently than previously described. Although de novo DAVFs were benign, 75% of all detected DAVFs required endovascular treatment. Therefore, screening for DAVF by dynamic MRV, such as 4D-combo-MRV, seems worthwhile in CVT patients.

Hemodynamics of cerebral veins analyzed by 2d and 4d flow mri and ultrasound in healthy volunteers and patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic alterations of extracranial veins are considered an etiologic factor in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, ultrasound and MRI studies could not confirm a pathophysiological link. Because of technical challenges using standard diagnostics, information about the involvement of superficial intracranial veins in proximity to the affected brain in MS is scarce. PURPOSE: To comprehensively investigate the hemodynamics of intracranial veins and of the venous outflow tract in MS patients and controls. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: Twenty-eight patients with relapsing-remitting MS (EDSS1.9 ± 1.1; range 0-3) and 41 healthy controls. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3T/2D phase-contrast and time-resolved 4D flow MRI, extra- and transcranial sonography. ASSESSMENT: Hemodynamics within the superficial and deep intracranial venous system and outflow tract including the internal, basal, and great cerebral vein, straight, superior sagittal, and transverse sinuses, internal jugular and vertebral veins. Sonography adhered to the chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) criteria. STATISTICAL TESTS: Multivariate repeated measure analysis of variance, Student's two-sample t-test, chi-square, Fisher's exact test; separate analysis of the entire cohort and 32 age- and sex-matched participants. RESULTS: Multi- and univariate main effects of the factor group (MS patient vs. control) and its interactions with the factor vessel position (lower flow within dorsal superior sagittal sinus in MS, 3 ± 1 ml/s vs. 3.8 ± 1 ml/s; P < 0.05) in the uncontrolled cohort were attributable to age-related differences. Age- and sex-matched pairs showed a different velocity gradient in a single segment within the deep cerebral veins (great cerebral vein, vena cerebri magna [VCM] 7.6 ± 1.7 cm/s; straight sinus [StS] 10.5 ± 2.2 cm/s vs. volunteers: VCM 9.2 ± 2.3 cm/s; StS 10.2 ± 2.3 cm/s; P = 0.01), reaching comparable velocities instantaneously downstream. Sonography was not statistically different between groups. DATA CONCLUSION: Consistent with previous studies focusing on extracranial hemodynamics, our comprehensive analysis of intracerebral venous blood flow did not reveal relevant differences between MS patients and controls. Level of Evidence 1. Technical Efficacy Stage 3. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:205-217.