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Assessment of perfusion using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Physics and methodology

Principal investigator; Wirestam, Ronnie, Professor, PhD

Clinical speciality: Medical radiation physics

Phone: ++4646177159

Co-workers, Lund University: Knutsson Linda, Sordia Tea

Research area/areas: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

The aims of this project are to develop MRI pulse sequences and post-processing tools for assessment of cerebral perfusion by means of bolus tracking and arterial spin labelling (ASL).

Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) is based on the theory of intravascular tracers and requires monitoring of tracer concentration time curves, during the first passage, in an artery (for registration of the arterial input function, AIF) and in tissue. The technique is validated, within our group, against established SPECT techniques. We continuously develop post-processing tools (tracer-kinetic models, algorithms and clinically useful computer programs) for assessment of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transit time (MTT). Methods for improved registration of the arterial input function have been implemented, and perfusion quantification in absolute terms is continuously evaluated. Development of a methodology for quantification of magnetic susceptibility is in progress, potentially applied to studies of oxygen consumption. An alternative and completely non-invasive methodology is the use of blood-water protons as an endogenous tracer, using magnetic labelling of arterial proton spins by inversion of the spin population in a brain-feeding artery, a technique generally referred to as arterial spin labelling (ASL). Applications of dynamic model-free ASL techniques are of particular interest, including extraction of novel blood transit-time parameters.

Perfusion MR imaging can be applied to acute ischaemic stroke and in intracranial vascular malformation in connection with neurointerventional procedures. Other areas of interest are dementia and trauma, as well as the prognostics and follow-up of tumour therapy. One general advantage with MRI is that both morphological and functional information is obtained during one single imaging session.

Link to project homepage: http://www.med.lu.se/plain/klinvetlund/mr_physics/research/microcirculation

5 recent original publications

Wirestam R., Engvall C., Ryding E., Holtås S., Ståhlberg F., Reinstrup P.
Changes in cerebral perfusion detected by dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging: Normal volunteers examined during normal breathing and hyperventilation
Journal of Biomedical Science & Engineering. 2009; 2: 210-215

Knutsson L., van Westen D., Petersen E., Markenroth Bloch K., Holtås S., Ståhlberg F., Wirestam R.
Absolute cerebral blood flow estimates by dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI: a comparison with model-free arterial spin labelling
Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2010; 28: 1-7

Wirestam R., Thilmann O., Knutsson L., Björkman-Burtscher I., Larsson E.-M., Ståhlberg F.
Comparison of quantitative dynamic susceptibility-contrast MRI perfusion estimates obtained using different contrast-agent administration schemes at 3 T
European Journal of Radiology. 2010; 75: e86-e91

Bibic A., Knutsson L., Ståhlberg F., Wirestam R.
Denoising of arterial spin labelling data: Wavelet-domain filtering compared with Gaussian smoothing
Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine. 2010; 23: 125-137

Wirestam R., Lindgren E., van Westen D., Markenroth Bloch K., Ståhlberg F., Knutsson L.
Cerebral perfusion information obtained by dynamic contrast-enhanced phase-shift magnetic resonance imaging: comparison with model-free arterial spin labelling.
Clinical physiology and functional imaging. 2010; 30: 375 - 379

Further publications here (new window)

Financing/year