title: Whole-brain arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI in patients with acute stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Perfusion MRI can be used to identify patients with acute ischemic stroke who may benefit from reperfusion therapies. The risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, however, limits the use of contrast agents. Our objective was to evaluate the ability of arterial spin labeling (ASL), an alternative noninvasive perfusion technique, to detect perfusion deficits compared with dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients referred for emergency assessment of suspected acute stroke within a 7-month period were imaged with both ASL and DSC perfusion MRI. Images were interpreted in a random order by 2 experts blinded to clinical information for image quality, presence of perfusion deficits, and diffusion-perfusion mismatches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred fifty-six patients were scanned with a median time of 5.6 hours (range, 3.0-17.7 hours) from last seen normal. Stroke diagnosis was clinically confirmed in 78 patients. ASL and DSC imaging were available in 64 of these patients. A perfusion deficit was detected with DSC in 39 of these patients; ASL detected 32 of these index perfusion deficits, missing 7 lesions. The median volume of the perfusion deficits as determined with DSC was smaller in patients who were evaluated as normal with ASL than in those with a deficit (median [interquartile range], 56 [10-116] versus 114 [41-225] mL; P=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ASL can depict large perfusion deficits and perfusion-diffusion mismatches in correspondence with DSC. Our findings show that a fast 2&frac12;-minute ASL perfusion scan may be adequate for screening patients with acute stroke with contraindications to gadolinium-based contrast agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. r.p.h.bokkers@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Reinoud P H
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bokkers
authors.forename: Daymara A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: José G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Merino
authors.forename: Raymond V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Mirasol
authors.forename: Matthias J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Osch
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hendrikse
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warach
authors.forename: Lawrence L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Latour
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D000075202:Contraindications; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013113:Spin Labels; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D013113:Spin Labels; D005682:Gadolinium