Hepatic arterial spin labelling MRI: an initial evaluation in mice.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Radiology

Background:

• Strategies to combat hepatic disease and improve tissue regeneration necessitate methods for assessing regional liver function.
• Liver perfusion imaging offers potential for evaluating various hepatic diseases and therapeutic responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility, variability, and repeatability of hepatic arterial spin labelling (HASL) in mice at 9.4T.
• To apply HASL to a mouse model of colorectal liver metastasis for functional assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery-arterial spin labelling (FAIR-ASL) with a Look-Locker readout at 9.4T.
• Employed retrospective respiratory gating and T1-based quantification for data analysis.
• Validated HASL in a preclinical mouse model of liver metastasis.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated feasibility and good repeatability of preclinical HASL, with a mean liver perfusion of 2.2 ± 0.8 mL/g/min.
• Reported within-session coefficient of variation (CVWS) of 7% and between-session (CVBS) of 9%.
• Measured significantly lower perfusion (1.1 ± 0.5 mL/g/min) within liver tumors compared to healthy tissue.

Conclusions:

• Preclinical HASL is a precise and accurate technique for estimating liver perfusion in mice.
• HASL provides a valuable platform for future studies on hepatic perfusion in disease models.
• The method shows promise for assessing therapeutic efficacy in liver diseases.