Harshan Ravi1,
2, Jinsoo Uh3, Peiying Liu1, Lisa C.
Krishnamurthy1, 2, Hanzhang Lu1
1Advanced
Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
Dallas, TX, United States; 2Department of Bioengineering,
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States; 3Department
of Radiological Sciences, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Memphis, TN,
United States
Venous blood oxygenation is an important parameter for the quantification of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), a key biomarker for brain tissue viability and functionality. T2 based methods has been reported to measure Yv in macroscopic veins. However, the oxygenation of microvasculature (capillary/venule), which renders spatially more specific information, is not yet investigated. In this study we propose a novel technique to isolate microvascular venous blood signal and measure its oxygenation, named micro-vasculature T2-relaxation-Under-Spin-Tagging (mTRUST). This technique complements and extends the applicability of existing methods targeting macroscopic veins, and may lay foundation to region specific CMRO2 mapping in future.
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