Measurement of cerebrospinal fluid oxygen partial pressure in humans using MRI

✍ Scribed by Greg Zaharchuk; Alastair J. Martin; Guy Rosenthal; Geoffery T. Manley; William P. Dillon

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 728 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20546

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images obtained during the administration of supplemental oxygen demonstrate a hyperintense signal within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is likely caused by T~1~ changes induced by paramagnetic molecular oxygen. Previous studies demonstrated a linear relationship between the longitudinal relaxation rate (R~1~ = 1/T~1~) and oxygen content, which permits quantification of the CSF oxygen partial pressure (P~csf~O~2~). In the current study, CSF T~1~ was measured at 1.5 T in the lateral ventricles, third ventricle, cortical sulci, and basilar cisterns of eight normal subjects breathing room air or 100% oxygen. Phantom studies performed with artificial CSF enabled absolute P~csf~O~2~ quantitation. Regional P~csf~O~2~ differences on room air were observed, from 65 ± 27 mmHg in the basilar cisterns to 130 ± 49 mmHg in the third ventricle. During 100% oxygen, P~csf~O~2~ increases of 155 ± 45 and 124 ± 34 mmHg were measured in the basilar cisterns and cortical sulci, respectively, with no change observed in the lateral or third ventricles. P~csf~O~2~ measurements in humans breathing room air or 100% oxygen using a T~1~ method are comparable to results from invasive human and animal studies. Similar approaches could be applied to noninvasively monitor oxygenation in many acellular, low‐protein body fluids. Magn Reson Med 54:113–121, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.