Flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (fair) imaging for retrograde cortical venous drainage related to intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula

Introduction: To evaluate the hypothesis that flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can detect retrograde cortical venous drainage (RCVD) in patients with intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF). Methods: Seven patients with angiographically confirmed DAVF with RCVD and two DAVF patients without RCVD underwent examinations with conventional MR imaging and FAIR, five of these seven patients with RCVD also underwent examination with dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MR imaging. The ability of FAIR to depict prominent cerebral veins was evaluated, and FAIR was compared with the relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps created with DSC. Results: In all DAVF patients with RCVD, FAIR clearly showed prominent veins on the surface of the brain in affected hemisphere, and FAIR corresponded well with the areas of increased rCBV. In all DAVF patients without RCVD, FAIR showed no prominent veins. Conclusion: FAIR can detect RCVD in patients with DAVF.