Abstract #1469

Dynamic Susceptibility MRI with a Pre-Bolus Administration Design for Improved Absolute Quantification of Perfusion

Linda Knutsson¹, Anna Rydhg¹, Danielle van Westen², Stig Holts², Freddy Sthlberg^2,3, Ronnie Wirestam¹

¹Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; ²Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; ³Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University , Lund, Sweden

Reproducible absolute quantification of cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) by dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) is difficult to achieve, for example, due to partial-volume effects (PVEs). The purpose of this study was to correct for arterial PVEs by rescaling the AIF using a VOF obtained by injecting a fraction of the contrast-agent dose as a pre-bolus. During the pre-bolus passage, a segmented EPI sequence in single-slice mode was used to register the VOF in the superior sagittal sinus. Our results showed that our proposed correction method removed a substantial amount of arterial PVEs.