title: Reduced cerebral arterial spin-labeled perfusion in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neurofibromatosis type 1 is associated with increased risk for stroke, cerebral vasculopathy, and neurocognitive deficits, but underlying hemodynamic changes in asymptomatic children remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that children with neurofibromatosis type 1 have decreased cerebral blood flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arterial spin-labeled CBF was measured in 14 children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (median age, 9.7 years; mean, 10.2 years; range, 22 months to 18 years) and compared with age-matched control subjects on 3T MR imaging. Three-dimensional pseudocontinuous spin-echo arterial spin-labeled technique was used. Measurements were obtained at cortical gray matter of bilateral cerebral hemispheres and centrum semiovale by use of the ROI method. Comparison by Mann-Whitney test was used, with Bonferroni-adjusted P values ≤.004 judged as significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 7 of 12 areas with significantly diminished arterial spin-labeled CBF in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 compared with control subjects. These areas included the anterior cingulate gyrus (P = .001), medial frontal cortex (P = .004), centrum semiovale (P = .004), temporo-occipital cortex (P = .002), thalamus (P = .001), posterior cingulate gyrus (P = .002), and occipital cortex (P = .001). Among patients with neurofibromatosis type 1, there were no significant differences in these regions on the basis of the presence of neurofibromatosis type 1 spots or neurocognitive deficits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced cerebral perfusion was seen in children with neurofibromatosis type 1, particularly in the posterior circulation and the vascular borderzones of the middle and posterior cerebral arteries.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiology.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yeom
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lober
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Campen
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D013113:Spin Labels