Partial Volume Correction in Arterial Spin Labeling Using a Look-Locker Sequence

PurposePartial volume (PV) effects are caused by limited spatial resolution and significantly affect cerebral blood flow investigations with arterial spin labeling. Therefore, accurate PV correction (PVC) procedures are required. PVC is commonly based on PV maps obtained from segmented high-resolution T-1-weighted images. Segmentation of these images is error-prone, and it can be difficult to coregister these images accurately with the single-shot ASL images such as those created by echo-planar imaging (EPI). In this paper, an alternative method for PV map generation is proposed. MethodsThe Look-Locker EPI (LL-EPI) acquisition is used for analyzing the T-1-recovery curve and for subsequent PV map generation. The new method was evaluated in five healthy volunteers (mean age 30 3.7 years). ResultsBy applying a linear regression method for PVC, a 12% decrease in regression error was reached with the new method. ConclusionPV maps extraction from LL-EPI is a viable, possibly superior alternative to the standard approach based on segmentation of high-resolution T-1-weighted images. Magn Reson Med 70:1535-1543, 2013. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.