Adam J. Pattison1, Phillip R. Perrinez1,
Matthew DJ McGarry1, John B. Weaver, 12, Keith D.
Paulsen1,3
1Thayer School of Engineering,
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States; 2Radiology,
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; 3Radiology,
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, United States
Small
changes in intracranial pressure (ICP) have large effects on neurological
function. Having the ability to measure ICP noninvasively could lead to a
much more reliable and efficient method to diagnosing diseases like
hydrocephalus, where an increase in ICP and ventricle size can be misconstrued
with other ex vacuo changes like periventricular leukomalacia or cerebral
atrophy. Magnetic resonance poroelastography (MRPE) is a recent idea in which
both a shear modulus and pore-pressure estimate are attainable. A feasibility
study was done on tofu, which has been widely used to model brain tissue, in
which different external pressures were applied in an enclosed container.
Reconstructed values show an increase in average pressure as well as a lack
of difference in shear modulus. This is an important indicator for future
studies of hydrocephalus and other neurological diseases.
Keywords