Quantification of cerebral blood flow in healthy volunteers and type 1 diabetic patients: comparison of MRI arterial spin labeling and [(15)O]H2O positron emission tomography (PET).
OBJECTIVE
To compare cerebral blood flow (CBF) values measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) arterial spin labeling (ASL) with those obtained with [(15)O]H2O positron emission tomography (PET), the gold standard for measuring CBF in vivo.


METHODS
Data were collected in 11 healthy men and in 20 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched type 1 diabetic men. Pseudo-continuous ASL (PCASL) data were acquired at 3 T and [(15)O]H2O PET scans were acquired using a high-resolution PET scanner. Input functions were obtained using on-line arterial blood sampling. Whole brain and regional CBF values were compared.


RESULTS
For both modalities, whole brain CBF was similar in both subject groups. In groups combined, average whole brain CBF was 0.30 ± 0.05 mL · cm(-3) · min(-1) for [(15)O]H2O PET and 0.34 ± 0.05 mL · cm(-3) · min(-1) for ASL MRI (P < 0.01). A significant correlation between methods was observed for whole brain, gray and white matter. In 12 out of 33 brain regions a significant difference between methods was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
PCASL provides CBF values that correlate with [(15)O]H2O PET-derived values, but is less accurate. PCASL may be an attractive alternative when absolute quantification is not needed.
Diabetes Center/ Department of Internal Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Larissa W
LW
van Golen
Joost P A
JP
Kuijer
Marc C
MC
Huisman
Richard G
RG
IJzerman
Frederik
F
Barkhof
Michaela
M
Diamant
Adriaan A
AA
Lammertsma
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry / Q000379:methods; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013113:Spin Labels; D014867:Water; D055815:Young Adult
D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013113:Spin Labels; D014867:Water
[15O]H2O positron emission tomography (PET); arterial spin labeling (ASL); cerebral blood flow (CBF); diabetes