Keith D. Paulsen1,2,
Adam J. Pattison1, Irina M. Perreard3, John B. Weaver1,3,
David W. Roberts3
1Thayer School
of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA; 2Norris
Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; 3Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
Hydrocephalus is a disease in which cerebrospinal fluid is obstructed causing an increase in ventricular size and, in some cases, an increased intracranial pressure. Current imaging modalities only detect oversized ventricles, which can be confused with cerebral atrophy, a disease where enlargement occurs due to shrinkage of the periventricular parenchyma. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) may differentiate between these two categories of disease based on mechanical property differences. A previously described intrinsic activation MRE method was applied to a series of normal and hydrocephalic patients. Initial results are promising and show significant differences in stiffness and pore-pressure estimations between the two patient groups.