Cerebral Blood Flow Quantification in Swine Using Pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling

PurposeTo develop quantitative cerebral blood flow (CBF) imaging using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) in swine, accounting for their cerebrovascular anatomy and physiology. Materials and MethodsFive domestic pigs (2.5-3 months, 25 kg) were used in these studies. The orientation of the labeled arteries, T-1bl, M-0bl, and T-1gm were measured in swine. Labeling parameters were tuned with respect to blood velocity to optimize labeling efficiency based on the data collected from three subjects. Finally, CBF and arterial transit time (ATT) maps for two subjects were created from PCASL data to determine global averages. ResultsThe average labeling efficiency over measured velocities of 5-18 cm/s was 0.930. The average T-1bl was 1546 ms, the average T-1gm was 1224 ms, and the average blood-to-white matter ratio of M-0 was 1.25, which was used to find M-0bl. The global averages over the subjects were 54.05 mL/100 g tissue/min CBF and 1261 ms ATT. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the feasibility of PCASL for CBF quantification in swine. Quantification of CBF using PCASL in swine can be further developed as an accessible and cost-effective model of human cerebral perfusion for investigating injuries that affect blood flow. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:1111-1118. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.