Wednesday, November 29 | 3:10 p.m.-3:20 p.m. | W7-SSNR13-2 | Room E353C
In this scientific session, investigators will present data that suggest that brain MRI biomarkers can play an important role in the screening, triaging, and referral of patients with suspected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disorders.
These disorders can cause intracranial pressure (ICP), a condition that calls for invasive monitoring, according to a team led by presenter Musa China, MD, of the University College London in the U.K.
China and colleagues sought to evaluate how effective MRI biomarkers could be for predicting intracranial pressure in patients with CSF disorders via a study that included 325 patients with suspected CSF disorders who underwent brain MRI scans within three months of elective 24-hour ICP monitoring. The group evaluated five biomarkers for any association between them and results from the 24-hour ICP tracking: Yuh sella grade, optic nerve vertical tortuosity, optic nerve sheath distension, posterior globe flattening, and optic disc protrusion.
The researchers found that all five of the biomarkers were associated with median 24-hour ICP (p < 0.0001); the presence of abnormal biomarkers translated to a higher median 24-hour ICP (p < 0.0001); and ICP was "significantly and positively associated" with sella grade (p < 0.0001), optic nerve vertical tortuosity (p < 0.0001) and optic disc protrusion (p = 0.003).
Brain MRI biomarkers could offer significant data to clinicians for the screening, triaging, and referral of patients with suspected CSF dynamic disorders, according to the researchers.
"[Our] results have important implications for the diagnostic routine of patients with suspected intracranial hypertension," they concluded.
