| 1. |
- Ahlgren, André, et al.
(författare)
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A linear mixed perfusion model for tissue partial volume correction of perfusion estimates in dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI: : Impact on absolute quantification, repeatability, and agreement with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling
- 2017
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Ingår i: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1522-2594 .- 0740-3194. ; 77:6, s. 2203-2214
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: The partial volume effect (PVE) is an important source of bias in brain perfusion measurements. The impact of tissue PVEs in perfusion measurements with dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) has not yet been well established. The purpose of this study was to suggest a partial volume correction (PVC) approach for DSC-MRI and to study how PVC affects DSC-MRI perfusion results.METHODS: A linear mixed perfusion model for DSC-MRI was derived and evaluated by way of simulations. Twenty healthy volunteers were scanned twice, including DSC-MRI, arterial spin labeling (ASL), and partial volume measurements. Two different algorithms for PVC were employed and assessed.RESULTS: Simulations showed that the derived model had a tendency to overestimate perfusion values in voxels with high fractions of cerebrospinal fluid. PVC reduced the tissue volume dependence of DSC-MRI perfusion values from 44.4% to 4.2% in gray matter and from 55.3% to 14.2% in white matter. One PVC method significantly improved the voxel-wise repeatability, but PVC did not improve the spatial agreement between DSC-MRI and ASL perfusion maps.CONCLUSION: Significant PVEs were found for DSC-MRI perfusion estimates, and PVC successfully reduced those effects. The findings suggest that PVC might be an important consideration for DSC-MRI applications. Magn Reson Med, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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| 4. |
- Ahlgren, André, et al.
(författare)
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Improved calculation of the equilibrium magnetization of arterial blood in arterial spin labeling
- 2018
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Ingår i: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1522-2594 .- 0740-3194. ; 80:5, s. 2223-2231
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: To propose and assess an improved method for calculating the equilibrium magnetization of arterial blood ( M0a), used for calibration of perfusion estimates in arterial spin labeling.METHODS: Whereas standard M0a calculation is based on dividing a proton density-weighted image by an average brain-blood partition coefficient, the proposed method exploits partial-volume data to adjust this ratio. The nominator is redefined as the magnetization of perfused tissue, and the denominator is redefined as a weighted sum of tissue-specific partition coefficients. Perfusion data were acquired with a pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling sequence, and partial-volume data were acquired using a rapid saturation recovery sequence with the same readout module. Results from 7 healthy volunteers were analyzed and compared with the conventional method.RESULTS: The proposed method produced improved M0a homogeneity throughout the brain in all subjects. The mean gray matter perfusion was significantly higher with the proposed method compared with the conventional method: 61.2 versus 56.3 mL/100 g/minute (+8.7%). Although to a lesser degree, the corresponding white matter values were also significantly different: 20.8 versus 22.0 mL/100 g/minute (-5.4%). The spatial and quantitative differences between the 2 methods were similar in all subjects.CONCLUSION: Compared with the conventional approach, the proposed method produced more homogenous M0a maps, corresponding to a more accurate calibration. The proposed method also yielded significantly different perfusion values across the whole brain, and performed consistently in all subjects. The new M0a method improves quantitative perfusion estimation with arterial spin labeling, and can therefore be of considerable value in perfusion imaging applications.
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| 5. |
- Ahlgren, André, et al.
(författare)
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Partial volume correction of brain perfusion estimates using the inherent signal data of time-resolved arterial spin labeling.
- 2014
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Ingår i: NMR in Biomedicine. - : Wiley. - 0952-3480. ; 27:9, s. 1112-1122
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Quantitative perfusion MRI based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) is hampered by partial volume effects (PVEs), arising due to voxel signal cross-contamination between different compartments. To address this issue, several partial volume correction (PVC) methods have been presented. Most previous methods rely on segmentation of a high-resolution T1 -weighted morphological image volume that is coregistered to the low-resolution ASL data, making the result sensitive to errors in the segmentation and coregistration. In this work, we present a methodology for partial volume estimation and correction, using only low-resolution ASL data acquired with the QUASAR sequence. The methodology consists of a T1 -based segmentation method, with no spatial priors, and a modified PVC method based on linear regression. The presented approach thus avoids prior assumptions about the spatial distribution of brain compartments, while also avoiding coregistration between different image volumes. Simulations based on a digital phantom as well as in vivo measurements in 10 volunteers were used to assess the performance of the proposed segmentation approach. The simulation results indicated that QUASAR data can be used for robust partial volume estimation, and this was confirmed by the in vivo experiments. The proposed PVC method yielded probable perfusion maps, comparable to a reference method based on segmentation of a high-resolution morphological scan. Corrected gray matter (GM) perfusion was 47% higher than uncorrected values, suggesting a significant amount of PVEs in the data. Whereas the reference method failed to completely eliminate the dependence of perfusion estimates on the volume fraction, the novel approach produced GM perfusion values independent of GM volume fraction. The intra-subject coefficient of variation of corrected perfusion values was lowest for the proposed PVC method. As shown in this work, low-resolution partial volume estimation in connection with ASL perfusion estimation is feasible, and provides a promising tool for decoupling perfusion and tissue volume. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 6. |
- Ahlgren, André, et al.
(författare)
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Perfusion quantification by model-free arterial spin labeling using nonlinear stochastic regularization deconvolution.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1522-2594 .- 0740-3194. ; 70:5, s. 1470-1480
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Quantification of cerebral blood flow can be accomplished by model-free arterial spin labeling using the quantitative STAR labeling of arterial regions (QUASAR) sequence. The required deconvolution is normally based on block-circulant singular value decomposition (cSVD)/oscillation SVD (oSVD), an algorithm associated with nonphysiological residue functions and potential effects of arterial dispersion. The aim of this work was to amend this by implementing nonlinear stochastic regularization (NSR) deconvolution, previously used to retrieve realistic residue functions in dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI. METHODS: To characterize the residue function in model-free arterial spin labeling, and possibly to improve absolute cerebral blood flow quantification, NSR was applied to deconvolution of QUASAR data. For comparison, SVD-based deconvolution was also employed. Residue function characteristics and cerebral blood flow values from 10 volunteers were obtained. Simulations were performed to support the in vivo results. RESULTS: NSR was able to resolve realistic residue functions in contrast to the SVD-based methods. Mean cerebral blood flow estimates in gray matter were 36.6 ± 2.6, 28.6 ± 3.3, 40.9 ± 3.6, and 42.9 ± 3.9 mL/100 g/min for cSVD, oSVD, NSR, and NSR with correction for arterial dispersion, respectively. In simulations, the NSR-based perfusion estimates showed better accuracy than the SVD-based approaches. CONCLUSION: Perfusion quantification by model-free arterial spin labeling is evidently dependent on the selected deconvolution method, and NSR is a feasible alternative to SVD-based methods. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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| 7. |
- Ahlgren, André, et al.
(författare)
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Quantification of microcirculatory parameters by joint analysis of flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) data.
- 2016
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Ingår i: NMR in Biomedicine. - : Wiley. - 0952-3480 .- 1099-1492. ; 29:5, s. 640-649
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy and precision of perfusion fraction and blood velocity dispersion estimates in intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging, using joint analysis of flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated motion-encoded MRI data. A double diffusion encoding sequence capable of switching between flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated encoding modes was implemented. In vivo brain data were collected in eight healthy volunteers and processed using the joint analysis. Simulations were used to compare the performance of the proposed analysis method with conventional IVIM analysis. With flow compensation, strong rephasing was observed for the in vivo data, approximately cancelling the IVIM effect. The joint analysis yielded physiologically reasonable perfusion fraction maps. Estimated perfusion fractions were 2.43 ± 0.81% in gray matter, 1.81 ± 0.90% in deep gray matter, and 1.64 ± 0.72% in white matter (mean ± SD, n = 8). Simulations showed improved accuracy and precision when using joint analysis of flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated data, compared with conventional IVIM analysis. Double diffusion encoding with flow compensation was feasible for in vivo imaging of the perfusion fraction in the brain. The strong rephasing implied that blood flowing through the cerebral microvascular system was closer to the ballistic limit than the diffusive limit. © 2016 The Authors NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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| 8. |
- Almqvist, Monica, et al.
(författare)
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European Medical Imaging Technology Training, EMIT – ett prisbelönt EU-utbildningsprojekt
- 2005
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing].
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- I ett sameuropeiskt Leonardo da Vinci-projekt har utvecklats ett internationellt utbildnings- och praktikpa- ket för blivande sjukhusfysiker [1-3]. Utbildningspaketet innehåller praktiska och kliniska övningsuppgifter där delta- garna tränas i för en sjukhusfysiker vanligt förekommande arbetsuppgifter. Målet har varit att det skall ge sjukhusfysi- kern den praktiska kompetens som krävs av det europeiska regelverket inom ämnesområdena magnetresonans (MRI), ultraljud, röntgendiagnostik, nuklearmedicin och strålbe- handling. Utbildningsmaterialet är webbaserat med en stor bilddata- bas och används redan i nära 70 länder runt om i världen. EMIT-projektet (European Medical Imaging Technology Training) belönades i december 2004 med det första Leonar- do da Vinci priset som delades ut till de tre bästa av totalt 4000 EU-projekt inom praktisk yrkesrelaterad utbildning. I projektet har vi konfronterats med den pedagogiska ut- maningen att förmedla praktisk kunskap, i sjukhusmiljöer med mycket olika förutsättningar beroende på vilket land deltagarna arbetar i. En omöjlig uppgift kan tyckas, men eftersom materialet är sammanställt av några av Europas starkaste forsknings- och utbildningsgrupper inom respekti- ve område så har det visat sig vara en stor tillgång och varje användare utnyttjar materialet efter sina egna behov. En an- nan erfarenhet är samarbetet över nationsgränser där vi har utnyttjat och konfronterats med likheter och oliktänkande inte minst vad gäller pedagogik och didaktik. Vi har dessut- om fått ett stort kontaktnät och många goda vänner. Den här presentationen beskriver delar av utbildningspaketet och erfarenheter av samarbetsprojektet.
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| 9. |
- Ambarki, Khalid, et al.
(författare)
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Accuracy of Parenchymal Cerebral Blood Flow Measurements Using Pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin-labeling in Healthy Volunteers
- 2015
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Ingår i: American Journal of Neuroradiology. - 0195-6108 .- 1936-959X. ; 36:10, s. 1816-1821
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The arterial spin-labeling method for CBF assessment is widely available, but its accuracy is not fully established. We investigated the accuracy of a whole-brain arterial spin-labeling technique for assessing the mean parenchymal CBF and the effect of aging in healthy volunteers. Phase-contrast MR imaging was used as the reference method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-two healthy volunteers were included: 49 young (age range, 20-30 years) and 43 elderly (age range, 65-80 years). Arterial spin-labeling parenchymal CBF values were averaged over the whole brain to quantify the mean pCBF(ASL) value. Total. CBF was assessed with phase-contrast MR imaging as the sum of flows in the internal carotid and vertebral arteries, and subsequent division by brain volume returned the pCBF(PCMRI) value. Accuracy was considered as good as that of the reference method if the systematic difference was less than 5 mL/min/100 g of brain tissue and if the 95% confidence intervals were equal to or better than +/- 10 mL/min/100 g. RESULTS: pCBF(ASL) correlated to pCBF(PCMRI) (r = 0.73; P < .001). Significant differences were observed between the pCBF(ASL) and pCBF(PCMRI) values in the young (P = .001) and the elderly (P < .001) volunteers. The systematic differences (mean 2 standard deviations) were -4 +/- 14 mL/min/100 g in the young subjects and 6 +/- 12 mL/min/100 g in the elderly subjects. Young subjects showed higher values than the elderly subjects for pCBF(PCMRI) (young, 57 +/- 8 mL/min/100 g; elderly, 54 +/- 7 mL/min/100 g; P = .05) and pCBF(ASL) (young, 61 +/- 10 mL/min/100 g; elderly, 48 +/- 10 mL/min/100 g; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The limits of agreement were too wide for the arterial spin-labeling method to be considered satisfactorily accurate, whereas the systematic overestimation in the young subjects and underestimation in the elderly subjects were close to acceptable. The age-related decrease in parenchymal CBF was augmented in arterial spin-labeling compared with phase-contrast MR imaging.
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| 10. |
- Bibic, Adnan, et al.
(författare)
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Denoising of arterial spin labeling data: wavelet-domain filtering compared with Gaussian smoothing.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Magma. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1352-8661. ; 23:3, s. 125-137
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: To investigate a wavelet-based filtering scheme for denoising of arterial spin labeling (ASL) data, potentially enabling reduction of the required number of averages and the acquisition time. METHODS: ASL magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides quantitative perfusion maps by using arterial water as an endogenous tracer. The signal difference between a labeled image, where inflowing arterial spins are inverted, and a control image is proportional to blood perfusion. ASL perfusion maps suffer from low SNR, and the experiment must be repeated a number of times (typically more than 40) to achieve adequate image quality. In this study, systematic errors introduced by the proposed wavelet-domain filtering approach were investigated in simulated and experimental image datasets and compared with conventional Gaussian smoothing. RESULTS: Application of the proposed method enabled a reduction of the number of averages and the acquisition time by at least 50% with retained standard deviation, but with effects on absolute CBF values close to borders and edges. CONCLUSIONS: When the ASL perfusion maps showed moderate-to-high SNRs, wavelet-domain filtering was superior to Gaussian smoothing in the vicinity of borders between gray and white matter, while Gaussian smoothing was a better choice for larger homogeneous areas, irrespective of SNR.
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