Ruth L. O'Gorman1, Cornelia Hagmann1,
Hadwig Speckbacher1, Brigitte Koller1, Ajit
Shankaranarayanan2, David C. Alsop3,4, Ernst Martin1
1University Children's
Hospital, Zrich, Switzerland; 2Global Applied Science Laboratory,
GE Healthcare, Menlo Park, CA, United States; 3Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; 4Harvard
Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
This study systematically addresses several potential sources of error and variability in the quantification of perfusion in neonates and young children using pulsed continuous arterial spin labelling (pCASL), including the vascular anatomy and the position of the labelling plane, vascular flow, transit time effects, and differences in blood T1. These effects are investigated in vivo and their impact on the accuracy of perfusion values is discussed. A pCASL acquisition and quantification protocol suitable for use in neonates is presented.
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