ENDOSCOPIC 3RD VENTRICULOCISTERNOSTOMY - MR ASSESSMENT OF PATENCY WITH 2-D CINE PHASE-CONTRAST VERSUS T2-WEIGHTED FAST SPIN-ECHO TECHNIQUE

Purpose: To determine if fast spin-echo T2 (FSE) is of equal value to flow-sensitive 2D cine phase-contrast (CPC) to assess patency of endos copic third ventriculocisternostomies (VC), Patients and Methods: We r eviewed clinical charts and MR scans of 27 patients who underwent thir d VC for treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. Thirty-nine postopera tive scans included both sequences and were assessed for the presence or absence of flow-related signal changes. Results: In 28 cases, FSE, CPC, and clinical findings suggested patency, In 1 case, CPC and FSE s uggested occlusion, which was confirmed clinically and operatively. In the remaining cases, FSE showed better clinical correlation than did CPC. Conclusion: The assessment of third VC patency with FSE, a sequen ce available on most clinical scanners without a requirement for speci al hardware and software, is at least as sensitive in the qualitative assessment of VC function as CPC.