Diagnostic and prognostic benefit of arterial spin labeling in subacute stroke.

Background And Purpose: Brain perfusion measurement in the subacute phase of stroke may support therapeutic decisions. We evaluated whether arterial spin labeling (ASL), a noninvasive perfusion imaging technique based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), adds diagnostic and prognostic benefit to diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in subacute stroke.

Methods: In a single-center imaging study, patients with DWI lesion(s) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory were included.

Correction for Susceptibility Distortions Increases the Performance of Arterial Spin Labeling in Patients with Cerebrovascular Disease.

Background And Purpose: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an MRI technique to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) without the need of exogenous contrast agents and is thus a promising alternative to the clinical standard dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced (DSC) perfusion imaging. Latest international guidelines encourage its application in the clinical setting. However, susceptibility-induced image distortions impair ASL with fast readout modules (eg Echo Planar Imaging, EPI; gradient and spin echo, GRASE).

3D GRASE pulsed arterial spin labeling at multiple inflow times in patients with long arterial transit times: comparison with dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI at 3 Tesla.

Pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) at multiple inflow times (multi-TIs) is advantageous for the measurement of brain perfusion in patients with long arterial transit times (ATTs) as in steno-occlusive disease, because bolus-arrival-time can be measured and blood flow measurements can be corrected accordingly. Owing to its increased signal-to-noise ratio, a combination with a three-dimensional gradient and spin echo (GRASE) readout allows acquiring a sufficient number of multi-TIs within a clinically feasible acquisition time of 5 minutes. We compared this technique with the clinical standard dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced imaging-magnetic resonance imaging in patients with unilateral stenosis >70% of the internal carotid or middle cerebral artery (MCA) at 3 Tesla.