Intracranial fluids dynamics

Intracranial Fluids Dynamics: A Quantitative Evaluation by Means of Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Yudy Natalia Flórez Ordónez

Valencia (Spain), 2009

The research described in this thesis was carried out at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Universitat Politècnica de Vàlencia), Valencia, Spain in a close collaboration with the Radiology Department of the HospitalQuirón, Valencia, Spain. The project was financially supported by the Generalitat Valenciana through a CTBPRB/2004/342 FPI (Formació de Personal Investigador) grant and by the Spanish Medical Radiologic Society (SERAM, Sociedad Española de Radiología Médica) grant.

Intracranial Fluids Dynamics: A Quantitative Evaluation by Means of Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Yudy Natalia FlórezOrdónez

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Supervisors:

Dr. Luís Martí-Bonmatí
Radiology Department Hospital Quirón, Valencia, Spain

Dr. David Moratal-Pérez
Electronic Engineering Department and Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

PolytechnicUniversity of Valencia 2009

A mis padres Cecilia y Justo Pastor, por todos los principios éticos y morales impartidos; que prevalecerán durante toda mi vida.

Al mayor regalo que Dios trajo a mi familia, María del Pilar. Gracias por enseñarme a valorar el sentido de la vida.

A Elvis por toda la paciencia, amor y comprensión que día a día me fortalecieron.

Acknowledgments
During thedevelopment of this thesis, I have met many people and I learnt from all of them. Besides this, many people helped indirectly to the realization of this thesis helping me to feel at home in this foreign country. I hope I can express my gratitude to all of them and apologize in case I forget somebody. I will start this acknowledgment by thanking my two Ph.D advisors: Dr. David Moratal and Dr. LuísMartí-Bonmatí for all their effort and the never-ending flow of ideas and energy. Looking back, I am very happy that I decided to work in the field of image processing and therefore the chance to do research with Dr. David Moratal Dr David Moratal who became not only my teacher but also my friend. He always supported and encouraged me during the five years of study and research. Thank you David. Dr.Luís Martí-Bonmatí, first of all I would like to thank him for offering me the opportunity to do research with him. Over time I have collected lots of “paper tablecloths” of the Italian restaurant, where we discussed step by step the different points that allowed the development of this thesis. I feel great admiration because he is able to transmit and share his knowledge in a polite way and I amespecially thankful that he shared it with me during all these years. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. José Millet-Roig and Dr. Antonio Mocholí, for offering me the opportunity to begin this research in their Bioengineering, Electronic and Telemedicine group (BET) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. The time I worked in their group was very pleasant. Thanks to my colleaguesof the BET: María, Cibeles, Fili, Paco, Cuentin, Vicent, Robin. Lots of people were very important during my stay in the Service de médicine nucléaire et traitement de l’image in Amiens, France. Dr. Olivier Baledent, Dr. Roger Bouzerar and Dr. Marc-Meyer. I am especially grateful to Dr Olivier for his direct, concise and very interesting contributions and discussions that helped the developmentof this thesis. J'aimerais jouer encore pétanque. J'ai de très bonnes mémoires de mon étape en France. Special thanks go to my friends who joined me at coffee breaks: Silvia, Isabel, Jacqueline, Nina, Ana and Rocío. Your company throughout these years

was an escape to routine and everyday problems, helping me to endure work without complaining. Radiology Department staff of the Clinica...