Blood oxygenation level-dependent MRI of the skeletal muscle during ischemia in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease.
OBJECTIVE
To compare calf muscle Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent (BOLD) response during ischemia in patients suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and age-matched non-PAOD subjects.


METHODS
PAOD patients with symptoms of intermittent calf claudication and an age-matched control group underwent T 2*-weighted single-shot multi-echo planar imaging on a whole-body MR scanner at 1.5 T. The muscle BOLD signal in the calf was acquired during 60 sec of baseline and 240 sec of ischemia induced by cuff compression. T 2* time courses in four calf muscles were evaluated.


RESULTS
Significant differences in the mean T 2* values were noted after 150 sec of measurement (p < 0.05). Patients with PAOD revealed a significantly reduced BOLD signal decrease compared to an age-matched control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Potential cause for this observation may be changes in the structure and/or the metabolic turnover of the muscle in PAOD patients.
Unispital Basel, Institut für Radiologie, Basel, Switzerland. spotthast@uhbs.ch
S
S
Potthast
A
A
Schulte
S
S
Kos
M
M
Aschwanden
D
D
Bilecen
D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D010100:Oxygen