A quantitative analysis of cerebrospinal fluid flow in posttraumatic syringomyelia

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow within the spinal canal and syrinx in posttraumatic syringomyelia were studied by cardiac-gated phase images of magnetic resonance imaging in 12 normal volunteers and 8 patients with syringomyelia. The cardiac-gated phase method was simple and useful for detection of CSF flow. Phase modulation was in direct proportion to flow velocity. Phase modulation was not affected by the T1 or T2 relaxation time. In normal volunteers, CSF flows caudally during systole and cranially during diastole. The maximum caudal CSF flow velocity at C2 level was from 0.45 cm/sec to 1.71 cm/sec, average; 1.27 cm/sec. All of symptomatic posttraumatic syringomyelia patients had the flow in the syrinx. (author)