Cerebrospinal fluid flow measurement using alternate ascending/descending directional navigation (ALADDIN)

Abstract

Imaging in-vivo movement of cerebrospinal fluid can be applied not only to diagnose the CSF disorders like hydrocephalus, but also to visualize and evaluate the CSF circulation for the clearance. In this study, we used single phase and multiphase alternate ascending/descending directional navigation (ALADDIN) to image the overall, dynamic CSF flow pattern. Single phase ALADDIN showed overall bulk flow of CSF, and multiphase ALADDIN showed dynamically-tracked signals of labeled CSF. We expect that ALADDIN can be applied to study CSF circulation and clearance disorders.