Prototype of MRI Flow Phantom for Dynamic Imaging of Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow

Abstract

The movement of cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal canal is a reciprocating flow field caused by heartbeat and respiration, but the process of mass transport by the flow and the changes in dynamics associated with diseases have not been fully investigated. In this study, a simple CSF flow phantom with a double circular tube shape was fabricated to fit into a skeletal model, and the reciprocating flow was observed. The moving water mass image showed the characteristics of the Hagen-Poiseuille flow through a double circular tube. The amplitude of the oscillation of the flow in the phantom was large upstream and small downstream. This characteristic is similar to that observed in the human body.