Assessment of perfusion deficits in ischemic stroke using 3D-GRASE arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging with multiple inflow times.

Background And Purpose: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI provides information on tissue perfusion by consecutive readout of labeled blood captured in arteries or the microvasculature without using contrast agents.

Methods: We used a single-shot 3D acquisition and readout technique for ASL with multiple inflow times (TI) to evaluate hemodynamic compromise and dynamics of arterial blood inflow expressed by the bolus arrival time (BAT). Thirty-six patients with ischemic stroke were examined with a standard multimodal MRI protocol including dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) and multi-TI ASL perfusion imaging.