Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

An Alternative to the Traditional Cold Pressor Test: The Cold Pressor Arm Wrap
Published on: January 16, 2014
Magnetic resonance cold pressor test to investigate potential endothelial dysfunction in patients suffering from type
Andreas M Weng1, Stefan Wilimsky1,2, Gwendolyn Bender3
1Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany.
Background:
In its course, diabetes impairs microvascular function through endothelial dysfunction. As the response of myocardial perfusion to sympathetic stimulation through cold is modulated by endothelium-related factors, an incipient endothelial dysfunction might be observed noninvasively by investigation of myocardial perfusion with a cold pressor test (CPT). This approach has been used in clinical MRI previously.
Purpose:
To assess endothelial function of patients suffering from type 1 diabetes by MR CPT.
Study Type:
Prospective cohort study.
Subjects:
Twenty type 1 diabetics and 20 healthy volunteers.
Field Strength/Sequence:
3T, dynamic contrast enhanced perfusion (steady-state free precession).
Assessment:
Absolute quantitative myocardial perfusion values at rest and under CPT.
Statistical Tests:
Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to determine normal distribution of the results. T-test for independent samples.
Results:
Patients' mean myocardial perfusion was 0.68 cc/g/min at rest and 0.80 cc/g/min during CPT, respective values of 0.81 cc/g/min and 1.36 cc/g/min were found in healthy volunteers. Perfusion values differed significantly for CPT (P < 0.01) but not for resting conditions (P = 0.06).
Data Conclusion:
This study demonstrated that endothelial function might be impaired in type 1 diabetes patients. This fosters the thesis that endothelial function may serve as an early biomarker for coronary artery disease in patients with type 1 diabetes while these patients are still clinically asymptomatic.
Level Of Evidence:
2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;48:1595-1601.
Related Concept Videos
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic Vector Potential
Consider an ideal solenoid with n turns per unit length and radius R. If I is the current through the solenoid, the magnetic field inside the solenoid is expressed as the product of vacuum...
Potential Due to a Magnetized Object
The vector...
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Types of Potential Energy
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...

