Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Anatomy, CNS, Neuroradiology brain, MR, Education, Cerebrospinal fluid
Authors:
J. Thompson, J. Gajera, D. Brazier, J. Drummond; Sydney, NSW/AU
DOI:
10.26044/ranzcr2021/R-0512
Conclusion
The anatomy and physiology of perivascular spaces and their functional role in the glymphatic drainage system is increasingly described and reported in the literature. There are physiological features of perivascular spaces that are not yet well understood due to methodological difficulties and imaging limitations of glymphatic drainage. Increasing awareness of PVS and the functional glymphatic waste drainage role can add valuable insight into the mechanisms of chronic neurological disorders. With emergence of higher field strength MRI and novel quantitative imaging methods to non-invasively image the efficiency of glymphatic drainage, imaging of PVS on MRI may rapidly move from dismissing classic ‘incidental PVS Type 1-4’ to more complex disease risk analysis through more granular assessment of ‘pathological PVS’ and glymphatic pathways.