Mean cerebral blood flow measurements using phase contrast MRI in the first year of life

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mean cerebral blood flow measurements using phase contrast MRI in the first year of life

AU - Varela, Marta

AU - Groves, Alan M

AU - Arichi, Tomoki

AU - Hajnal, Joseph V

AU - Varela, Marta

PY - 2012/9

Y1 - 2012/9

N2 - Alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are believed to be linked to many of the neurological pathologies that affect neonates and small infants. CBF measurements are nonetheless often difficult to perform in this population, as many techniques rely on radioactive tracers or other invasive methods. In this study, mean global CBF was measured in 21 infants under the age of one, using non-invasive MRI techniques adapted to the neonatal population. Mean CBF was computed as the ratio of blood flow delivered to the brain (measured using phase contrast MRI) and brain volume (computed by segmenting anatomical MR images). Tests in adult volunteers and repeated measurements showed the flow measurements using the proposed method to be both accurate and reproducible. It was also found that cardiac gating need not be employed in infants with no known cardiac pathology. The developed technique can easily be appended to a neonatal MRI examination to provide rapid, robust, and non-invasive estimates of mean CBF, thus providing a means to monitor developmental or pathology-related alterations in cerebral perfusion and the impact of different treatment courses. In the imaged cohort, mean CBF and flow to the brain were found to rapidly increase during the first year of life (from approx. 25 to 60 ml blood/100 ml tissue/min), in good agreement with literature from other modalities where available. Mean CBF also showed a significant correlation with arterial oxygen saturation level and heart rate, but no significant correlation was found between CBF and the hematocrit or body temperature.

AB - Alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are believed to be linked to many of the neurological pathologies that affect neonates and small infants. CBF measurements are nonetheless often difficult to perform in this population, as many techniques rely on radioactive tracers or other invasive methods. In this study, mean global CBF was measured in 21 infants under the age of one, using non-invasive MRI techniques adapted to the neonatal population. Mean CBF was computed as the ratio of blood flow delivered to the brain (measured using phase contrast MRI) and brain volume (computed by segmenting anatomical MR images). Tests in adult volunteers and repeated measurements showed the flow measurements using the proposed method to be both accurate and reproducible. It was also found that cardiac gating need not be employed in infants with no known cardiac pathology. The developed technique can easily be appended to a neonatal MRI examination to provide rapid, robust, and non-invasive estimates of mean CBF, thus providing a means to monitor developmental or pathology-related alterations in cerebral perfusion and the impact of different treatment courses. In the imaged cohort, mean CBF and flow to the brain were found to rapidly increase during the first year of life (from approx. 25 to 60 ml blood/100 ml tissue/min), in good agreement with literature from other modalities where available. Mean CBF also showed a significant correlation with arterial oxygen saturation level and heart rate, but no significant correlation was found between CBF and the hematocrit or body temperature.

KW - Adult

KW - Brain

KW - Cerebrovascular Circulation

KW - Female

KW - Hemodynamics

KW - Humans

KW - Infant

KW - Infant, Newborn

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

KW - Male

KW - Organ Size

KW - Regional Blood Flow

U2 - 10.1002/nbm.2771

DO - 10.1002/nbm.2771

M3 - Article

C2 - 22290659

SN - 0952-3480

VL - 25

SP - 1063

EP - 1072

JO - Nmr in Biomedicine

JF - Nmr in Biomedicine

IS - 9

M1 - N/A

ER -