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Abstract #2113

An Objective Quantification Technique of the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Flow in the Cerebral Aqueduct, in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Claudiu Schirda1, Paolo Zamboni2, Christopher Magnano1, Eric Lindzen3, David Wack1, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman3, Deepa Ramasamy1, Ellen Carl1, David Hojnacki3, Cheryl Kennedy1, Michael Dwyer1, Niels Bergsland1, Jennifer Cox1, Fabrizio Salvi2, Robert Zivadinov1,3

1Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States; 2University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; 3The Jacobs Neurological Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States


When compared to white matter or gray matter, the involvement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease has scarcely been explored until now and typically a lumbar puncture is required. We investigate the flow properties of the CSF in the aqueduct of Sylvius and how they relate to other MS disease metrics, by using non-invasive MRI in a pilot study with MS patients and healthy controls. An objective flow quantification technique using automatic segmentation of the aqueduct was developed and was validated on a flow phantom and scan-rescanning 4 subjects within a week.