Satoshi Yatsushiro

Cerebrospinal fluid image segmentation using spatial fuzzy clustering method with improved evolutionary Expectation Maximization

Visualization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), that flow in the brain and spinal cord, plays an important role to detect neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers disease. This is performed by measuring the substantial changes in the CSF flow dynamics, volume and/or pressure gradient. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique has become a prominent tool to quantitatively measure these changes and image segmentation method has been widely used to distinguish the CSF flows from the brain tissues. However, this is often hampered by the presence of partial volume effect in the images. In this paper, a new hybrid evolutionary spatial fuzzy clustering method is introduced to overcome the partial volume effect in the MRI images. The proposed method incorporates Expectation Maximization (EM) method, which is improved by the evolutionary operations of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to differentiate the CSF from the brain tissues. The proposed improvement is incorporated into a spatial-based fuzzy clustering (SFCM) method to improve segmentation of the boundary curve of the CSF and the brain tissues. The proposed method was validated using MRI images of Alzheimers disease patient. The results presented that the proposed method is capable to filter the CSF regions from the brain tissues more effectively compared to the standard EM, FCM, and SFCM methods.

Quantitative Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Gradients in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict not only anatomical information, but also physiological factors such as velocity and pressure gradient. Measurement of these physiological factors is necessary to understand the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) environment. In this study we quantified CSF motion in various parts of the CSF space, determined changes in the CSF environment with aging, and compared CSF pressure gradient between patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and healthy elderly volunteers. Fifty-seven healthy volunteers and six iNPH patients underwent four-dimensional (4D) phase-contrast (PC) MRI. CSF motion was observed and the pressure gradient of CSF was quantified in the CSF space. In healthy volunteers, inhomogeneous CSF motion was observed whereby the pressure gradient markedly increased in the center of the skull and gradually decreased in the periphery of the skull. For example, the pressure gradient at the ventral surface of the brainstem was 6.6 times greater than that at the convexity of the cerebrum. The pressure gradient was statistically unchanged with aging. The pressure gradient of patients with iNPH was 3.2 times greater than that of healthy volunteers. The quantitative analysis of 4D-PC MRI data revealed that the pressure gradient of CSF can be used to understand the CSF environment, which is not sufficiently given by subjective impression of the anatomical image.

Visualization of pulsatile CSF motion around membrane-like structures with both 4D velocity mapping and time-SLIP technique

PURPOSE We compared the depiction of pulsatile CSF motion obtained by 4-dimensional phase-contrast velocity mapping (4D-VM) with that by time-spatial labeling inversion pulse (time-SLIP) technique in the presence of membrane structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS We compared the 2 techniques using a flow phantom comprising tubes with and without a thin rubber membrane and applied the techniques to 6 healthy volunteers and 2 patients to analyze CSF dynamics surrounding thin membrane structures, such as the Liliequist membrane (LM), or the wall of an arachnoid cyst. RESULTS Phantom images exhibited propagation of the flow and pressure gradient beyond the membrane in the tube. In contrast, fluid labeled by the time-SLIP technique showed little displacement from the blockage of spin travelling by the membrane. A similar phenomenon was observed around the LM in healthy volunteers and the arachnoid cyst wall in a patient. CONCLUSION Four-dimensional phase-contrast velocity mapping permitted visualization of the propagation of CSF pulsation through the intracranial membranous structures. This suggests that 4D-VM and the time-SLIP technique provide different information on flow and that both techniques are useful for classifying the pathophysiological status of CSF and elucidating the propagation pathway of CSF pulsation in the cranium.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique for Visualization of Irregular Cerebrospinal Fluid Motion in the Ventricular System and Subarachnoid Space

BACKGROUND Many studies have shown that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) behaves irregularly, rather than with laminar flow, in the various CSF spaces. We adapted a modified previously known magnetic resonance imaging technique to visualize irregular CSF motion. Subsequently, we assessed the usefulness and clinical significance of the present method. MATERIALS AND METHODS Normal CSF motion in 10 healthy volunteers was visualized with the dynamic improved, motion-sensitized, driven-equilibrium steady-state free precession technique. Subsequently, CSF motion visualization with a modified sequence was applied to 3 patients. RESULTS In healthy volunteers, we achieved visualization of the irregularity of CSF flow in the ventricles and spinal canal, whereas CSF motion was diminished in the peripheral part of the intracranial subarachnoid space. In one case, we confirmed the patency of the patients third ventriculostomy fenestration site. In the other, we verified the usefulness of the proposed sequence for determining the communication between the ventricle or subarachnoid space and the cyst. CONCLUSIONS Using the present sequence, we obtained images that accentuated CSF motion, which is largely composed of irregular motion. This method does not require pulse triggering or complex post-processing of images and allows visualization of CSF motion in a short period of time in selected whole imaging planes. It can therefore be applied clinically to diagnose various diseases that cause abnormalities in the CSF space.

Characterization of cardiac- and respiratory-driven cerebrospinal fluid motion based on asynchronous phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging in volunteers

BackgroundA classification of cardiac- and respiratory-driven components of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) motion has been demonstrated using echo planar imaging and time-spatial labeling inversion pulse techniques of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, quantitative characterization of the two motion components has not been performed to date. Thus, in this study, the velocities and displacements of the waveforms of the two motions were quantitatively evaluated based on an asynchronous two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast (PC) method followed by frequency component analysis.MethodsThe effects of respiration and cardiac pulsation on CSF motion were investigated in 7 healthy subjects under guided respiration using asynchronous 2D-PC 3-T MRI. The respiratory and cardiac components in the foramen magnum and aqueduct were separated, and their respective fractions of velocity and amount of displacement were compared.ResultsFor velocity in the Sylvian aqueduct and foramen magnum, the fraction attributable to the cardiac component was significantly greater than that of the respiratory component throughout the respiratory cycle. As for displacement, the fraction of the respiratory component was significantly greater than that of the cardiac component in the aqueduct regardless of the respiratory cycle and in the foramen magnum in the 6- and 10-s respiratory cycles. There was no significant difference between the fractions in the 16-s respiratory cycle in the foramen magnum.ConclusionsTo separate cardiac- and respiratory-driven CSF motions, asynchronous 2D-PC MRI was performed under respiratory guidance. For velocity, the cardiac component was greater than the respiratory component. In contrast, for the amount of displacement, the respiratory component was greater.

Visualization of pulsatile CSF motion separated by membrane-like structure based on four-dimensional phase-contrast (4D-PC) velocity mapping

This work was performed to indicate the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) 4-dimentional phase contrast (4D-PC) technique in assessing CerebroSpinal Fluid (CSF) motion in comparison with the time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse (Time-SLIP) technique. 4D-velocity vector, their curl, and, pressure gradient were evaluated in both flow phantom, and normal volunteers and a patient with hydrocepharus. The velocity and pressure gradient fields obtained by the 4D-PC technique were useful to visualize the CSF dynamics under the presence of a membrane-like structure, unlike the Time-SLIP in which the spin travel was visualized. Quantitative property was another advantage of the 4D-PC. The curl and the pressure gradient fields obtained with actual units should help clinicians to classify the conditions of the patients with CSF disorders.

Characterization of cardiac- and respiratory-driven cerebrospinal fluid motions using correlation mapping with asynchronous 2-dimensional phase contrast technique

To investigate spatial distribution properties of the cardiac- and respiratory-driven cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) motions in the intracranial space, correlation mapping technique was conducted. Time series of CSF velocity were acquired in 7 healthy subjects of 26±5 years old under by asynchronous 2-dimensional phase contrast (2D-PC) method with 217-msec temporal resolution. The delay time and maximum correlation maps of the cardiac- and respiratory-driven CSF motions demonstrated clear differences in the propagation properties. When the reference region was set at anterior spinal subarachnoid space, the maximum correlation coefficients in the case of 6-sec respiratory period were 0.91±0.05 for cardiac-driven and 0.78±0.08 for respiratory-driven. They were 0.90±0.06 and 0.81±0.06 in the case of 10-sec period. The cardiac- and respiratory CSF motions differently distributed in intracranial space.

Correlation mapping for visualizing propagation of pulsatile CSF motion in intracranial space based on magnetic resonance phase contrast velocity images: Preliminary results

Correlation time mapping based on magnetic resonance (MR) velocimetry has been applied to pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) motion to visualize the pressure transmission between CSF at different locations and/or between CSF and arterial blood flow. Healthy volunteer experiments demonstrated that the technique exhibited transmitting pulsatile CSF motion from CSF space in the vicinity of blood vessels with short delay and relatively high correlation coefficients. Patient and healthy volunteer experiments indicated that the properties of CSF motion were different from the healthy volunteers. Resultant images in healthy volunteers implied that there were slight individual difference in the CSF driving source locations. Clinical interpretation for these preliminary results is required to apply the present technique for classifying status of hydrocephalus.

Cardiac-driven Pulsatile Motion of Intracranial Cerebrospinal Fluid Visualized Based on a Correlation Mapping Technique

Purpose: A correlation mapping technique delineating delay time and maximum correlation for characterizing pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) propagation was proposed. After proofing its technical concept, this technique was applied to healthy volunteers and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) patients. Methods: A time-resolved three dimensional-phase contrast (3D-PC) sampled the cardiac-driven CSF velocity at 32 temporal points per cardiac period at each spatial location using retrospective cardiac gating. The proposed technique visualized distributions of propagation delay and correlation coefficient of the PC-based CSF velocity waveform with reference to a waveform at a particular point in the CSF space. The delay time was obtained as the amount of time-shift, giving the maximum correlation for the velocity waveform at an arbitrary location with that at the reference location. The validity and accuracy of the technique were confirmed in a flow phantom equipped with a cardiovascular pump. The technique was then applied to evaluate the intracranial CSF motions in young, healthy (N = 13), and elderly, healthy (N = 13) volunteers and iNPH patients (N = 13). Results: The phantom study demonstrated that root mean square error of the delay time was 2.27%, which was less than the temporal resolution of PC measurement used in this study (3.13% of a cardiac cycle). The human studies showed a significant difference (P < 0.01) in the mean correlation coefficient between the young, healthy group and the other two groups. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was also recognized in standard deviation of the correlation coefficients in intracranial CSF space among all groups. The result suggests that the CSF space compliance of iNPH patients was lower than that of healthy volunteers. Conclusion: The correlation mapping technique allowed us to visualize pulsatile CSF velocity wave propagations as still images. The technique may help to classify diseases related to CSF dynamics, such as iNPH.

Investigation of driving forces of cerebrospinal fluid motion by power and frequency mapping based on asynchronous phase contrast technique

To classify the cardiac- and respiratory-driven cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) motions, asynchronous 2D phase contrast (PC) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with 217 ms time resolution in conjunction with power and frequency mapping was performed for 7 healthy subjects under respiration guidance. In the frequency domain, the cardiac-driven motion was at around 1.29±0.21 Hz and respiratory-driven motion was at 0.16±0.01 Hz under 6 sec respiratory cycle. Two different techniques were proposed for characterizing the motions; one was power-map (P-map) depicting integrated power spectrum in a selected band, and the other was frequency-map (F-map) delineating the frequency of maximum peak in power spectral density (PSD). These maps visualized the anatomical distributions of the two motions. Portions of the cardiac- and respiratory-driven CSF motions in the spinal subarachnoid space were 58.1±22.2 and 9.50±3.83 %, respectively. Power and frequency mapping clearly classified the cardiac-driven and respiratory-driven CSF motions.