Motivation: Characterizing flow dynamics of cerebral perforating arteries provides important insights into small vessel diseases. While Current studies mainly use 7T PC-MRI to study LSA flow dynamics,its clinical use is limited compared to 3T. Goal(s): To develop high-resolution dual-VENC PC-MRI on conventional 3T for LSA pulsatility assessment and study its feasibility, reliability, and potential clinical utility Approach: A retrospectively-gated dual-VENC 2D phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) sequence was implemented on 3T. Data was collected from both 3T and 7T on young and elderly adults. Results: 3T dual-VENC PC-MRI successfully detected LSA velocity dynamics, with increased pulsatility linked to aging, cognitive decline and decreased executive function. Impact: We developed a reliable 3T technique to assess LSA pulsatility, which could serve as a imaging marker for aging and cerebral vessel disease. Given the widespread use of 3T, this technique shows strong potential for future research and clinical applications.
Tang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.