High-resolution practical imaging of perivascular spaces

Motivation: Perivascular spaces are of high relevance to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease, particularly in the context of anti-amyloid therapies. Goal(s): To evaluate the feasibility of imaging PVS using ultra-long TE 3D-T2 sequence across field strengths. Approach: We implemented a high-resolution protocol using an ultra-long-TE 3D T2-weighted TSE sequence at 1.5T and 3T, and scanned a cohort of healthy volunteers and AD patients. Results: Improved definition of PVS was obtained using our ultra-long-TE protocol compared to standard methods, and shown to be feasible across field strengths. Pilot scans in AD patients show widespread increased signal. Impact: This work demonstrates that perivascular spaces can be imaged in a clinically compatible time across field-strengths. Pilot scans in AD patients show widespread increased signal, suggesting a potential interest in specifically studying PVS in AD.