Intro Flashcards
Describe ventricular anatomy
lateral ventricles (frontal, temporal, occipital horns; body, atrium/trigone) => 3rd ventricle => cerebral aqueduct => 4th ventricle => foramen of Luschka/lateral or foramen of Magendie (midline) ==> obex/opening to spinal canal
parts of the third ventricle
chiasmatic/supraoptic recess, infundibular recess, suprapineal recess, pineal recess, cerebral aqueduct, and massa intermedia
massa intermedia
interthalamic adhesion
CSF is produced by?
choroid plexus – located in body/temporal horn of lateral ventricles, roof of 3rd/4th
CSF volume
- ventricle
- subarachnoid space
150: 25 + 125 mL
CSF production in a day
~500 mL/day
CSF absorption
arachnoid granulations and lesser extent by lymphatic system/cerebral veins
cytotoxic edema
cell swelling by damaged Na K ATPase ion pumps
most commonly due to infarct, restricted diffusion
vasogenic dema
interstitial edema, increased capillary permeability
common with neoplasm, infection, infarct
interstitial edema
imbalances in CSF flow, commonly due to obstructive hydrocephalus
transependymal flow of CSF, periventricular
subfalcine herniation
cingulate gyrus slides under falx; compression ACA
contralateral hydrocephalus from foramen of monro obstruction
transtentorial herniation
DOWNWARD:
medial temporal lobe slides under tentorium
ipsilateral CN3 paresis, compression PCA, duret hemorrhages, compression contralateral cerebral peduncle
UPWARD: superior transtentorial herniation of vermis due to posterior fossa mass effect
obstructive hydrocephalus from aqueductal compression
cerebellar tonsillar herniation
displaced through foramen magnum, compression of medulla
communicating hydrocephalus
venticular enlargement, no obstructing lesion
subarachnoid hemorrhage or normal pressure hydrocephalus
noncommunicating hydrocephalus
obstructive lesion
3rd ventricle colloid cyst
posterior fossa mass obstructing 4th ventricle
intra vs extra-axial:
beneath pia
meninges/subarachnoid
intra-axial
extra-axial
perimesencephalic cisterns/basal cisterns
suprasellar, prepontine, interpeduncular, ambient, quadrigeminal
surround midbrain/pons
T1 shortening signal
T2 shortening signal
bright
dark
brain lesions demonstrate pathologic prolongation of longitudinal recovery
T1 dark, T2 bright
causes of T1 hyperintensity
gadolinium, fat, protein
melanin, mineralization, slow-flow blood, calcium, paramagnetic stages of blood (intra/extracellular methemoglobin)
causes of T1 hypointensity
paramagetic states of blood (except hyperacute blood, extracellular methemoglobin), calcification, fibrous lesion, highly cellular tumors, vascular flow voids, muscin
FLAIR
T2 weighted signal with suppresion of water based on T1 characteristics
white matter darker than gray matter
PD sequence
conventional spin echo proton density
highest signal to noise ratio
useful to evaluate MS, demyelinating plaques in posterior fossa
diffusion weighted images
DWI/ADC
brownian motion of water; signal lost with increases (pathologic processes)
CSF is dark
differential for restricted diffusion
acute stroke, bacterial abcess, cellular tumors (lymphoma, medulloblastoma), epideroid cyst, herpes encephalitis, CJD cruetzfelt jakob disease
DWI vs ADC signal with reduced diffusion
DWI bright, ADC dark
DWI: reduced diffusion will be hyperintense (less Brownian motion, less loss of signal)
T2 shine through
DWI images are T2 weighted so T2 hyperintense signals will shine through on DWI
b-value in MRI
higher b-value -> more contrast, detects reduced diffusivity
GRE/T2*
susceptible to signal loss from magnetic field inhomogeneities
180 degree rephasing pulse is omitted
blooming artifact
hemosiderin, calcium produce inhomogeneities in magnetic field; makes small lesion conspicuous
differential diagnosis of multiple dark spots
hypertensive microbleeds, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, familial cerebral cavernous malformations, axonal shear injury, multiple hemorrhgic metastases
MR spectroscopy
chemical composition of brain
may help determine radiation necrosis vs recurrent tumor, glioblastoma v metastasis
MR spectroscopy: glioblastoma vs mets
glioblastoma: gradual transition abnormal to normal
metastasis: abrupt transition
ratios of specific compounds
NAA decreases and choline increases with tumors
order: Cho, Cr, NAA
canavan disease MR spectroscopy
elevated NAA
lactate doublet MR spectroscopy
high grade tumors (anaerobic metabolism)
Hunters angle
line connecting tallest peaks should point up; normal spectrum
perfusion MR
brain imaged repeatedly with gadolinium injection
gadolinium causes magnetic field distrubance which transiently decreases image intensity
T2* images
useful for stroke and tumors
what causes parenchymal enhancement
disruption of BBB
infection, inflammation, neoplasm, trauma, vascular etiologies
BBB is formed from?
astrocytic foot processes of brain capillary endothelial cells
what parts of the brain do not have BBB
choroid plexus, pituitary gland, pineal gland, tuber cinerium (inferior hypothalamus, controls circadian), area postrema (inferior of 4th ventricle, controls vomiting)
vascular enhancement in brain
localized increased blood flow
vasodilation, hyperemia, neovascularity, AV shunting
sources of extra-axial enhancement
dura (pachymeninges)
arachnoid (leptomeninges)
ddx for periventricular enhancement
CNS lymphoma, infectious ependymitis (CMV), primary glial tumor, MS
CNS lymphoma on imaging
hyperattenuating on CT
restricted diffusion due to cellularity
low T2 signal
centrally necrotic in immunocompromised patients
ddx gyriform enhancement
herpes encephalitis, meningitis, subacute infarct, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
nodular intra-axial enhancement
metastatic disease
subcortical gray white junction enhancement with edema
hematogenously disseminated mets
posterior fossa disease: mets
venous dissemination of mets via retroclival venous plexus
ddx rim enhancing lesion
MAGIC DR
mets, abscess, glioma, infact, contusion, demyelinating, radiation
pachymeningeal/dural enhancement
falx, tentorium, cavernous sinuses covered by dura
dural enhancement on MRI is indication of dural edema, not BBB breakdown
ddx of pachymeningeal enhancement
intracranial hypotennsion, postoperative, post lumbar puncture, meningeal neoplasm (meningioma), granulomatous disease (sarcoid, TB, fungal disease)
ddx leptomeningeal enhancement
meningitis, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, viral enchephalitis, slow vascular flow
fine linear vs thick nodular enhancement in meningitis
fine/linear: bacterial or viral
nodular: fungal
leptomeningeal carcinomatosis neoplasms
MOCLEGG
medulloblastoma, oligodendroglioma, choroid plexus tumor, lymphoma, ependymoma, glioblastoma, germinoma
mets that cause leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
lymphoma, breast
ddx of FLAIR hyperintensity
meningitis/leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
subarachnoid hemorrhage
pt on oxygen or propofol; increased subarachnoid FLAIR
slow flow of peripheral vessels
moya moya