MR Derived Volumetric Flow Rate Waveforms of Internal Carotid Artery in Patients Treated for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms by Flow Diversion Technique

• Published in: Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism Vol. 35; no. 12; pp. 2070 - 2079
• Main Authors: Eker, Omer F, Boudjeltia, Karim Zouaoui, Jerez, Ricardo A Corredor, Le Bars, Emmanuelle, Sanchez, Mathieu, Bonafé, Alain, Costalat, Vincent, Courbebaisse, Guy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2015; Sage Publications Ltd; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Algorithms; Bioengineering; Carotid Artery, Internal - pathology; Carotid Artery, Internal - physiopathology; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Endovascular Procedures; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging; Intracranial Aneurysm - pathology; Intracranial Aneurysm - surgery; Intracranial Thrombosis - pathology; Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Wavelet Analysis; Young Adult; magnetic resonance; interventional neuroradiology; intracranial aneurysm; carotid artery; hemodynamics
• ISSN: 0271-678X; 1559-7016
• DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2015.176

Little is known about the hemodynamic disturbances induced by the cerebral aneurysms in the parent artery and the effect of flow diverter stents (FDS) on these latter. A better understanding of the aneurysm-parent vessel complex relationship may aid our understanding of this disease and to optimize its treatment. The ability of volumetric flow rate (VFR) waveform to reflect the arterial compliance modifications is well known. By analyzing the VFR waveform and the pulsatility in the parent vessel, this study aimed to test the hypotheses that (1) intracranial aneurysms might disrupt the blood flow of the parent vessel and (2) the treatment by FDS might have measurable corrective effect on these changes. Ten patients followed for unruptured intracranial aneurysms treated by FDS and ten healthy volunteers as control group were included in this study. Two-dimensional quantitative phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on each patient on the ICA artery upstream and downstream to the aneurysm, and on each volunteer at similar locations. The aneurysms altered significantly the parent vessel pulsatility and this effect was correlated to their volume. The aneurysms treatment by FDS allowed for the restoration of a normally modulated flow and pulsatility correction in the parent vessel.