Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging
Published on: December 30, 2016
Power-law kinetics of tracer washout from physiological systems
D A Beard1, J B Bassingthwaighte
1Center for Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7962, USA.
Abstract:
Recent studies suggest that the tail of the washout of tracer-labeled substances from physiological systems can exhibit power-law behavior. In this work we develop a theoretical interpretation of the power-law behavior of the flow-limited washout of tracer-labeled water from the myocardium. Using minimal assumptions concerning the complicated structure of the coronary network we show that the washout from a heterogeneous flow system is given by h(t) approximately equal to A x p1 (V/t)(-beta), where beta is close to 3, p1 is the probability density of flows through the system, V is a constant volume associated with each pathway, and A is a constant. This prediction fits observed power-law washout behavior of tracer water in the heart. This theory is general enough to lead us to speculate that close examination of transport in other heterogeneity-perfused systems is likely to reveal similar power-law behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Kinetics of Drug Elimination
Drug clearance depends on the rate of drug elimination and its plasma concentration. Another important parameter is the half-life of a drug, which is the time required for its concentration to decrease by half. In most cases, drug clearance follows first-order...
Elimination Kinetics: First-Order and Zero-Order
Drug clearance depends on the rate of drug elimination and its plasma concentration. Another important parameter is a drug's half-life, which is the time required for its concentration to decrease by half. In most cases, drug clearance follows first-order kinetics,...
Model Approaches for Pharmacokinetic Data: Physiological Models
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Assumption with Protein Binding
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models
Measurement of Bioavailability: Pharmacokinetic Methods

![Quantitative [18F]-Naf-PET-MRI Analysis for the Evaluation of Dynamic Bone Turnover in a Patient with Facetogenic Low Back Pain](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F58491.jpg&w=3840&q=50)