Optimization of Fair Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging (ASL-MRI) for Renal Perfusion Quantification in Dogs: Pilot Study

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI allows non-invasive quantification of renal blood flow (RBF) and shows great potential for renal assessment. To our knowledge, renal ASL-MRI has not previously been performed in dogs. The aim of this pilot study was to determine parameters essential for ALS-MRI-based quantification of RBF in dogs: T1, blood (longitudinal relaxation time), λ (blood tissue partition coefficient) and TI (inversion time). A Beagle was scanned at 3T with a multi-TI ASL sequence, with TIs ranging from 250 to 2500 ms, to determine the optimal TI value. The T1 of blood for dogs was determined by scanning a blood sample with a 2D IR TSE sequence. The water content of the dog’s kidney was determined by analyzing kidney samples from four dogs with a moisture analyzer and was subsequently used to calculate λ. The optimal TI and the measured values for T1,blood, and λ were 2000 ms, 1463 ms and 0.91 mL/g, respectively. These optimized parameters for dogs resulted in lower RBF values than those obtained from inline generated RBF maps. In conclusion, this study determined preliminary parameters essential for ALS-MRI-based RBF quantification in dogs. Further research is needed to confirm these values, but it may help guide future research.