Comparison of 4D Flow MRI and Particle Image Velocimetry Using an In Vitro Carotid Bifurcation Model

Four-dimensional (4D) Flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables the acquisition and assessment of complex hemodynamics in vivo from different vascular territories. This study investigated the viability of stereoscopic and tomographic particle image velocimetry (stereo- and tomo-PIV, respectively) as experimental validation techniques for 4D Flow MRI. The experiments were performed using continuous and pulsatile flows through an idealized carotid artery bifurcation model. Transverse and longitudinal planes were extracted from the acquired velocity data sets at different regions of interest and were analyzed with a point-by-point comparison. An overall root-mean-square error (RMSE) was calculated resulting in errors as low as 0.06 and 0.03 m/s when comparing 4D Flow MRI with stereo- and tomo-PIV, respectively. Quantitative agreement between techniques was determined by evaluating the relationship for individual velocity components and their magnitudes. These resulted in correlation coefficients (R²) of 4D Flow MRI with stereo- and tomo-PIV, as low as 0.76 and 0.73, respectively. The 3D velocity measurements from PIV showed qualitative agreement when compared to 4D Flow MRI, especially with tomo-PIV due to the addition of volumetric velocity measurements. These results suggest that tomo-PIV can be used as a validation technique for 4D Flow MRI, serving as the basis for future validation protocols.