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Hyperintense areas in the cisternal segments of the cranial nerves: a magnetic resonance imaging study

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Abstract

Purpose

The study aimed to explore hyperintense areas in the cisternal segments of the cranial nerves using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

Seventy outpatients underwent thin-sliced, coronal constructive interference steady-state (CISS) sequence and sagittal T2-weighted MRI following conventional MRI examination.

Results

With the coronal CISS sequence, hyperintense areas were located in the central parts of the olfactory bulbs in 65.7% of patients. For the intracranial optic nerve and optic chiasm, hyperintense areas were detected in 98.6% of the CISS sequences and 100% of the T2-weighted images. In the optic tract, hyperintense areas were detected in 51.4% of cases. In 35% of the patients who underwent the CISS sequence, the intracranial optic nerves were considerably compressed by the internal carotid and anterior cerebral arteries, with hyperintense areas similar to those in patients without vascular compression. Hyperintense areas of the cisternal segments of the oculomotor nerve and trigeminal root were identified in 52.9% and 87.1% of the patients, respectively.

Conclusions

The hyperintense areas found within the cisternal segments of the cranial nerves delineated on the coronal CISS sequence and sagittal T2-weighted imaging may indicate the intracranial part of the glymphatic pathway through the cranial nerves. The cranial nerves may function as part of the glymphatic pathway.

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Funding

This study did not receive grant funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, 2-1-1 Tomioka, Urayasu, Chiba, 279-0021, Japan

    Satoshi Tsutsumi & Hisato Ishii

  2. Division of Radiological Technology, Medical Satellite Yaesu Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

    Hideo Ono

Authors
  1. Satoshi Tsutsumi
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  2. Hideo Ono
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  3. Hisato Ishii
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Contributions

All the authors contributed equally to the study.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satoshi Tsutsumi.

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Ethical approval

All procedures in this study were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, in addition to the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare regarding the materials or methods used or the findings presented in this study.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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Tsutsumi, S., Ono, H. & Ishii, H. Hyperintense areas in the cisternal segments of the cranial nerves: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Surg Radiol Anat 44, 503–509 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02902-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02902-1

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