Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Blood Flow Imaging with Ultrafast Doppler
Published on: October 14, 2020
Increasing temporal resolution of DSC perfusion MRI using the analytic image concept
Josiane Yankam Njiwa1, David Ratering, Christof Baltes
1Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. njiwa@biomed.ee.ethz.ch
Object:
Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) is increasingly being used to evaluate cerebral microcirculation. In this study, the use of the analytic image reconstruction (AIR), with the aim to increase the temporal resolution, is evaluated for DSC-MRI in small animals.
Materials And Methods:
Imaging was performed using a T (2)*- weighted sequence to acquire male Lewis rats raw data. Results show that AIR satisfactory reconstructs DSC-MRI while preserving a good reconstruction quality and the image characteristics compared to the full k-space and keyhole reconstructed images. The combination of the choice of the baseline image and the proposed asymmetric acquisition schema enables an increase in temporal resolution, by a factor of four, thus having more sample points for better estimating perfusion parameters.
Results:
Computer simulations result in a mean cerebral blood volume of 1.22 that deviates from the full k-space value by -3% and a mean cerebral blood flow of 1.97 deviating from the full k-space value by -3% when the mean transit time did not change. Even if these deviations increase when achieving real acquisitions, AIR still better computes quantitative values than keyhole.
Conclusion:
AIR allows a good reconstruction of the dynamic stage of the image series thus leading to better dynamic effects analysis.
Insights
Analytic image reconstruction (AIR) enhances dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) in small animals by improving temporal resolution. This method offers better dynamic effects analysis for cerebral microcirculation studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Medical Physics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) is crucial for assessing cerebral microcirculation.
- Increasing temporal resolution in DSC-MRI is vital for accurate perfusion parameter estimation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of analytic image reconstruction (AIR) for DSC-MRI in small animals.
- To assess AIR's ability to enhance temporal resolution in DSC-MRI.
Main Methods:
- Male Lewis rats underwent T(2)*-weighted DSC-MRI.
- Analytic image reconstruction (AIR) was applied to raw data.
- AIR performance was compared against full k-space and keyhole reconstructions.
Main Results:
- AIR satisfactorily reconstructs DSC-MRI with good image quality.
- AIR achieved a fourfold increase in temporal resolution.
- Simulations showed minimal deviation in cerebral blood volume and flow compared to full k-space.
Conclusions:
- AIR enables effective reconstruction of dynamic DSC-MRI image series.
- AIR facilitates improved analysis of dynamic effects in cerebral microcirculation.
