Magnetic resonance imaging compatibility testing of intracranial pressure probes : Technical note

• Published in: Journal of neurosurgery Vol. 91; no. 4; pp. 706 - 709
• Main Authors: WILLIAMS, E. J, BUNCH, C. S, CARPENTER, T. A, DOWNEY, S. P. M. J, KENDALL, I. V, CZOSNYKA, M, PICKARD, J. D, MARTIN, J, MENON, D. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Park Ridge, IL American Association of Neurological Surgeons 01-10-1999
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Equipment Design; Fiber Optic Technology; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Intracranial Pressure; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Manometry - instrumentation; Medical sciences; Monitoring, Physiologic - instrumentation; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Safety; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Human; Nervous system diseases; Craniocerebral; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Tolerance; Exploration; Intracranial pressure; Probe; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Trauma; Cerebral disorder; Central nervous system disease; Skull disease; Medical imagery; Technique; Compatibility
• ISSN: 0022-3085; 1933-0693
• DOI: 10.3171/jns.1999.91.4.0706

There is increasing recognition that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy may provide important information in the assessment of patients with acute brain injury. However, optimum care of the acutely head injured patient requires monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP). Although many monitoring modalities have been integrated into commercially available MR-compatible systems, there have been no reports of commonly used intraparenchymal ICP sensors in an MR environment. The authors describe the use of an ICP micromanometer probe in an MR environment, with a fiberoptic connection that interfaces the probe with a commercially available MR-compatible monitoring system. Phantom studies were performed to demonstrate the safety and compatibility of the modified MR system at 0.5 tesla. The safety of the device was assessed in relation to its interaction with the static, gradient, and radiofrequency fields used in MR imaging. The MR compatibility was documented by demonstrating that its performance was unaffected by the operation of imaging sequences and by showing that there was no degradation of the diagnostic quality of imaging data obtained during ICP monitoring.