Characteristics of flow through the internal jugular veins at cervical C2/C3 and C5/C6 levels for multiple sclerosis patients using MR phase contrast imaging

OBJECTIVES: To study blood flow characteristics through the internal jugular veins (IJVs) at the cervical levels C2/C3 and C5/C6 in the neck of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging at 3T was performed on 323 MS patients. Phase contrast imaging was used to quantify blood flow at both the C2/C3 and C5/C6 levels. Total IJV flow (tIJF) was normalized by total arterial flow (tAF). Contrast-enhanced time-resolved 3D …