A simplified approach to quantification of multiple contrasts from time-encoded ASL

摘要

Time-encoded ASL (TE-ASL) allows quantification of multiple contrasts such as arterial transit time (ATT), arterial blood volume (aBV) as well as cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, the dependence on offline post-processing could be considered a barrier to clinical implementation of the technique. The aim of this study was to develop a simplified method of quantifying multicontrast maps from TE-ASL data. We hypothesised that this could be achieved by isolating the macrovascular and microvascular components of the arterial signal using a two-step fitting method, similar to what is implemented in the BASIL toolbox.