A split-label design for simultaneous measurements of muscle perfusion in distant slices by pulsed arterial spin labeling

摘要

In Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL-)MRI studies of muscle perfusion changes upon or during exercise, single-slice acquisitions (fig. 1a) are commonly used. However, fiber type and oxidative capacity vary along the muscle~(1-2) and differences in fatty infiltration along the muscle have been observed in muscular dystrophies.~(3-4) Coverage of standard multi-slice pulsed ASL (fig. 1b) is limited by the fact that no label is created between slices. For 10-15 cm long muscles, this implies long transit times to the most distal slice due to slow flow. We propose a split-label design adaptation of FAIR that allows for sufficient labeling for distant slices (fig. 1c).