Quantification of cerebral perfusion using dynamic quantitative susceptibility mapping

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a dynamic quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) technique with sufficient temporal resolution to map contrast agent concentration in cerebral perfusion imaging.

Methods: The dynamic QSM used a multiecho three-dimensional (3D) spoiled gradient echo golden angle interleaved spiral sequence during contrast bolus injection. Four-dimensional (4D) space-time resolved magnetic field reconstruction was performed using the temporal resolution acceleration with constrained evolution reconstruction method. Deconvolution of the gadolinium-induced field was performed at each time point with the morphology enabled dipole inversion method to generate a 4D gadolinium concentration map, from which three-dimensional spatial distributions of cerebral blood volume and cerebral blood flow were computed.

Results: Initial in vivo brain imaging demonstrated the feasibility of using dynamic QSM for generating quantitative 4D contrast agent maps and imaging three-dimensional perfusion. The cerebral blood flow obtained with dynamic QSM agreed with that obtained using arterial spin labeling.

Conclusion: Dynamic QSM can be used to perform 4D mapping of contrast agent concentration in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The perfusion parameters derived from this 4D contrast agent concentration map were in good agreement with those obtained using arterial spin labeling.

Keywords: cerebral blood flow; cerebral blood volume; cerebral perfusion; contrast agent quantification; quantitative susceptibility mapping; temporal resolution acceleration with constrained evolution reconstruction.