• Akash P Kansagra and Eric C Wong.
• School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0677, USA. akansagra@ucsd.edu
• Stroke. 2008 Nov 1; 39 (11): 2980-5.

Background And PurposeRecent advances in arterial spin labeling MRI have permitted noninvasive evaluation of vascular territories. In the present study, we quantitatively assess mixing of internal carotid and basilar artery blood through cerebrovascular anastomoses using vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling and a new postprocessing method.MethodsVessel-encoded arterial spin labeling was used to determine the territories of the internal carotid and basilar arteries in 14 healthy subjects and one patient with asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis before and after endarterectomy. Contributions to individual vascular territories were quantified using a voxelwise supply fraction algorithm and the results were correlated with MR angiography.ResultsVascular territories were consistent with cerebrovascular anatomy and the presence of pathology. The supply fraction method allowed quantification of mixed territorial supply arising from collateral flow and showed vascular supply changes in a patient with carotid artery stenosis after endarterectomy.ConclusionsVascular territories obtained with vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling correlate with cerebrovascular anatomy and allow quantitative assessment of mixed territorial supply in subjects with and without pathology.

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