Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brain MRI with blood flow imaging in 314 dogs and cats
By Hoffmann, Anne-Cécile et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·ADVETIA Veterinary Referral Hospital, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Brain perfusion magnetic resonance imaging using pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling in 314 dogs and cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at a new brain imaging technique called arterial spin labeling (ASL) to see how well it works in dogs and cats. Researchers used a special MRI machine to measure blood flow in the brain of 314 pets that were healthy enough to undergo the procedure. They found that ASL was successful 95% of the time in pets with normal brain scans, and they provided specific guidelines on how to perform the imaging for different sizes of animals. The results showed typical blood flow rates in the brain for both dogs and cats, which could help veterinarians better understand and diagnose brain diseases in pets. Overall, the study confirmed that this imaging method is effective and could be useful in veterinary medicine.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a noninvasive brain perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that has not been assessed in clinical veterinary medicine. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To test the feasibility of ASL using a 1.5 Tesla scanner and provide recommendations for optimal quantification of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in dogs and cats. ANIMALS: Three hundred fourteen prospectively selected client-owned dogs and cats. METHODS: Each animal underwent brain MRI including morphological sequences and ≥1 ASL sequences using different sites of blood labeling and postlabeling delays (PLD). Calculated ASL success rates were compared. The CBF was quantified in animals that had morphologically normal brain MRI results and parameters of ASL optimization were investigated. RESULTS: Arterial spin labeling was easily implemented with an overall success rate of 95% in animals with normal brain MRI. Technical recommendations included (a) positioning of the imaging slab at the foramen magnum and (b) selected PLD of 1025 ms in cats and dogs <7 kg, 1525 ms in dogs 7 to 38 kg, and 2025 ms in dogs >38 kg. In 37 dogs, median optimal CBF in the cortex and thalamic nuclei were 114 and 95 mL/100 g/min, respectively. In 28 cats, median CBF in the cortex and thalamic nuclei were 113 and 114 mL/100 g/min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Our survey of brain perfusion ASL-MRI demonstrated the feasibility of ASL at 1.5 Tesla, suggested technical recommendations and provided CBF values that should be helpful in the characterization of various brain diseases in dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34291497/