Spontaneous ventriculostomy: Report of three cases revealed by flow-sensitive phase-contrast cine MR imaging

Spontaneous ventriculostomy is a rare condition that occurs with the sponta neous rupture of a ventricle, resulting in a communication between the vent ricular system and the subarachnoid space. Three cases of spontaneous ventr iculostomy through the floor of the third ventricle that occurred in cases of chronic obstructive hydrocephalus are presented. The communication was i dentified via flow-sensitive phase-contrast cine MR imaging. Spontaneous ve ntriculostomy is probably a result of a rupture of the normally thin membra ne that forms the floor of the third ventricle and, with long-standing obst ructive hydrocephalus, creates an internal drainage pathway that spontaneou sly compensates for the hydrocephalus.