Abstract
Background: Thin cerebral aneurysm wall thickness (AWT) is connected to high aneurysm rupture risk. MR imaging of AWT leads to overestimations. The aim of the present study was to quantify MR inaccuracy by comparison with accurate light microscopic measurements.
Methods: In 13 experimental microsurgical bifurcation aneurysms in rabbits, 3 Tesla (3 T)-MR imaging using contrast-enhanced T1 Flash sequences (resolution: 0.4 × 0.4 × 1.5 mm3) was performed. The aneurysms were retrieved immediately after MR acquisition, cut longitudinally, and calibrated photographs were obtained. AWT (dome, neck) and parent vessel thickness (PVT) were measured on the MR images and microscopic photographs by independent investigators. All parameters were statistically compared (Wilcoxon test, Spearman correlation).
Results: AWT and PVT could be imaged and measured in all aneurysms with good quality. Comparison with the “real” light microscopic measurements showed a progressive tendency of MR AWT overestimation with smaller AWT: AWT at the dome (0.24 ± 0.06 mm vs. MR 0.30 ± 0.08 mm; p = 0.0078; R = 0.6125), AWT at the neck (0.25 ± 0.07 mm vs. MR 0.29 ± 0.07 mm; p = 0.0469; R = 0.7451), and PVT (0.46 ± 0.06 mm vs. MR 0.48 ± 0.06 mm; p = 0.5; R = 0.8568).
Conclusion: In this experimental setting, 3 T-MR imaging of cerebral AWT showed unacceptable inaccuracies only below the image resolution threshold. Theoretically, AWT for clinical usage could be classified in ranges, defined by the maximum image resolution.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Boussel L, Wintermark M, Martin A, Dispensa B, VanTijen R, Leach J, Rayz V, Acevedo-Bolton G, Lawton M, Higashida R, Smith W, Young W, Saloner D (2008) Monitoring serial change in the lumen and outer wall of vertebrobasilar aneurysms. AJNR 29:259–264
Cebral J, Mut F, Weir J, Putman C (2011) Quantitative characterization of the hemodynamic environment in ruptured and unruptured brain aneurysms. AJNR 32:145–151
Frösen J, Piippo A, Paetau A, Kangasniemi M, Niemelä M, Hernesniemi J, Jääskeläinen J (2004) Remodeling of saccular cerebral artery aneurysm wall is associated with rupture: histological analysis of 24 unruptured and 42 ruptured cases. Stroke 35:2287–2293
Lall R, Eddleman C, Bendok B, Batjer H (2009) Unruptured intracranial aneurysms and the assessment of rupture risk based on anatomical and morphologic factors: sifting through the sands of data. Neurosurg Focus 26(E2):1–5
Marbacher S, Erhardt S, Ai Schläppi J, Coluccia D, Remonda L, Fandino J, Sherif C (2011) Complex bi-lobular, bi-saccular, and broad-necked microsurgical aneurysms formation in the rabbit bifurcation model for the study of upcoming endovascular techniques. AJNR 32:772–777
Park J, Lee C, Sim K, Huh J, Park J (2009) Imaging of the walls of saccular cerebral aneurysms with double inversion recovery black-blood sequence. J Magn Reson Imaging 30:1179–1183
Sherif C, Fandino J, Erhardt S, Di Ieva A, Killer M, Kleinpeter G, Marbacher S (2011) Microsurgical arterial-bifurcation aneurysms in the rabbit model: technical aspects. J Vis Exp 51:2718. doi:10.3791/2718
Sherif C, Marbacher S, Erhardt S, Fandino J (2011) Improved microsurgical creation of venous-pouch arterial-bifurcation aneurysms in rabbits. AJNR 32:165–169
Sherif C, Marbacher S, Fandino J (2009) High-resolution three-dimensional 3 T magnetic resonance angiography for the evaluation of experimental aneurysms in the rabbit. Neurol Res 31:869–872
Steinman D, Antiga L, Wasserman B (2010) Overestimation of cerebral aneurysm wall thickness by black blood MRI? J Magn Reson Imaging 31:766
Conflict of Interest Statement
Sherif and Mach are shareholders of NVTec. Ltd., Vienna, Austria.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Additional information
Funding
This study was funded by the Medical Scientific Fund of the Major of the City of Vienna.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sherif, C. et al. (2015). Aneurysm Wall Thickness Measurements of Experimental Aneurysms: In Vivo High-Field MR Imaging Versus Direct Microscopy. In: Fandino, J., Marbacher, S., Fathi, AR., Muroi, C., Keller, E. (eds) Neurovascular Events After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Acta Neurochirurgica Supplement, vol 120. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04981-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04981-6_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-04980-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-04981-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)