[Measurement of portal blood flow with magnetic resonance imaging]

A new method for measuring portal blood flow using magnetic resonance imaging has been developed. Flow velocities are calculated from distances that are directly visualized using a new pulse sequence. In a phantom study, the measured flow rates showed a close correlation (r = 0.9996) with actual flow rates in the range 4.7 cm/sec to 22.8 cm/sec. In a study using volunteers, portal blood flow was quickly measured (about 18 seconds) using electrocardiographic gating. These measurements were compared with those obtained by Doppler ultrasound, with which they showed a close correlation in flow velocity (r = 0.968) and flow volume (r = 0.936). This method allows reasonably accurate quantitative analysis of portal blood flow in patients in whom the Doppler method can not be used because of obesity or intestinal gas.