Evaluation of quantitative parameters such as regional myocardial blood flow (rMBF), blood volume (rMBV), and mean transit time (rMTT) by MRI is gaining acceptance for clinical applications, but still lacks robust postprocessing methods for map generation. Moreover, robustness should be preserved over the full range of myocardial flows and volumes. Using experimental data from an isolated pig heart preparation, synthetic MR kinetics were generated and four deconvolution approaches were evaluated. These methods were then applied to the firstpass T 1 images of the isolated pig heart using an intravascular contrast agent and rMBF, rMBV and rMTT maps were generated. In both synthetic and experimental data, the fit between calculated and original data reached equally good results with the four techniques. rMBV was the only parameter estimated correctly in numerical experiments. Moreover, using the algebraic method ARMA, abnormal regions were well delineated on rMBV maps. At high flows, rMBF was underestimated at the experimental noise level. Finally, rMTT maps appeared noisy and highly unreliable, especially at high flows. In conclusion, over the myocardial flow range, i.e., 0 -400 ml/min/100g, rMBF identification was biased in presence of noise, whereas rMBV was correctly identified. Thus, rMBV mapping could be a fast and robust way to detect abnormal myocardial regions. Magn Reson Med 48:166 -179, 2002.

This study demonstrated the feasibility of USPIO-enhanced MRI in assessing the inflammatory status related to the temporal progression of the atherosclerosis plaque in ApoE transgenic mice model of atherosclerosis. In our experimental conditions, the vascular inflammation peak, for the ApoE mice feeding high-fat/high-cholesterol diet is measured between 16 and 24 weeks of age.

BackgroundEnd-expiratory lung volume measurement by the nitrogen washin-washout technique (EELVWI-WO) may help titrating positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Validation of this technique has been previously performed using computed tomography (EELVCT), but at mild PEEP levels, and relatively low fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), which may have insufficiently challenged the validity of this technique. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the reliability of EELVWI-WO measurements at different PEEP and VT during experimental ARDS and (2) to evaluate trending ability of EELVWI-WO to detect EELV changes over time.MethodsARDS was induced in 14 piglets by saline lavage. Optimal PEEP was selected during a decremental PEEP trial, based on best compliance, best EELVWI-WO, or a PEEP-FiO2 table. Eight VT (4 to 20 mL · kg-1) were finally applied at optimal PEEP. EELVWI-WO and EELVCT were determined after ARDS onset, at variable PEEP and VT.ResultsEELVWI-WO underestimated EELVCT with a non-constant linear bias, as it decreased with increasing EELV. Limits of agreement for bias were ±398 mL. Bias between methods was greater at high PEEP, and further increased when high PEEP was combined with low VT. Concordance rate of EELV changes between consecutive measurements was fair (79%). Diagnostic accuracy was good for detection of absolute EELV changes above 200 mL (AUC = 0.79).ConclusionsThe reliability of the WI-WO technique is critically dependent on ventilatory settings, but sufficient to accurately detect EELV change greater than 200 mL.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2197-425X-2-10) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Ventilation imaging can be performed at tidal volume using a simple experimental protocol, without any ventilation device or breath-hold period. Acquisition time, SNR and pO2 decay can be optimized using the developed numerical model. Free-breathing ventilation images can be obtained without artifacts related to motion or gas flow. Lastly, parametric maps can be derived from the time-resolved ventilation images and physiological parameters extracted from the global signal dynamics.

In the present study we investigated the effects of water exchange between intra-and extravascular compartments on absolute quantification of regional myocardial blood flow (rMBF) using a saturation-recovery sequence with a rather long inversion time (TI, 176 ms) and a T 1 -shortening intravascular contrast agent (CMD-A2-Gd-DOTA). Data were acquired in normal and ischemically injured pigs, with radiolabeled microsphere flow measurements used as the gold standard. Five water exchange rates (fast, 6 Hz, 3 Hz, 1 Hz, and no exchange) were tested. The results demonstrate that the fast-exchange approximation may be appropriate for rMBF quantification using the described experimental setting. Relaxation rate change (⌬R 1 ) analysis improved the accuracy of the analysis of rMBF compared to the MR signal. In conclusion, the current protocol could provide sufficient accuracy for estimating rMBF assuming fast exchange and a linear relationship between signal and tissue concentration when quantification of precontrast T 1 is not an option. Magn Reson Med 56:340 -347, 2006.

: Interobserver agreement was 57% and 81% and accuracy 53% and 81%, for visual and for parametric map analysis, respectively. For deconvolution parameters, a linear relationship y = 371 + 1.27x, r = 0.78 was obtained between rMBF calculated by ARMA and the radioactive microsphere blood flow. Moreover, the fast and robust parametric mapping of rMBF by the discrete ARMA method allows MR evaluation of myocardial perfusion independently of hemodynamic conditions.

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