University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

October 31, 2001

Contact: Sharon Butler (312) 355-2522; sbutler@uic.edu

SAFE METHOD FOR MEASURING INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE
INVENTED AT UIC
Animations of MRI images of blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid

Flow of blood (A) and cerebrospinal fluid (B) into and out of the brain during one cardiac cycle. A series of magnetic resonance images at the base of each graph, is used to calculate the flow velocity. From those velocities, the pressure on the brain can be calculated. (Animation files are in avi format).

Graph A (871KB) represents blood flow at each point in a cross section through the internal carotid and vertebral arteries and the jugular vein. Positive velocities (black) correspond to blood flow out of the brain (light in the MR image), and negative velocities (red) correspond to blood flow into the brain (dark in the MR image).

Graph B (902KB) represents the velocity of CSF flow at each point in a cross section through the spinal column. Positive velocities (black) correspond to flow of the fluid from the cranium into the spinal canal (light in the MR image) during the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle. Negative velocities (red) correspond to the reverse flow, from the spinal canal into the brain (dark in the MR image) during the diastolic phase. The spinal cord is at the center of the image.

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