Investigating hyperoxic effects in the rat brain using quantitative susceptibility mapping based on MRI phase

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Purpose To test whether susceptibility imaging can detect microvenous oxygen saturation changes, induced by hyperoxia, in the rat brain. Methods A three‐dimensional gradient‐echo with a flow compensation sequence was used to acquire ‐weighted images of rat brains during hyperoxia and normoxia. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and QSM‐based microvenous oxygenation venography were computed from gradient‐echo (GRE) phase images and compared between the two conditions. Pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) in the cortex was examined and compared with venous oxygen saturation (SvO 2 ) estimated by QSM. Oxygen saturation change calculated by a conventional Δ map was also compared with the ΔSvO 2 estimated by QSM. Results Susceptibilities of five venous and tissue regions were quantified separately by QSM. Venous susceptibility was reduced by nearly 10%, with an SvO 2 shift of 10% during hyperoxia. A hyperoxic effect, confirmed by SpO 2 measurement, resulted in an SvO 2 increase in the cortex. The ΔSvO 2 between hyperoxia and normoxia was consistent with what was estimated by the Δ map in five regions. Conclusion These findings suggest that a quantitative susceptibility map is a promising technique for SvO 2 measurement. This method may be useful for quantitatively investigating oxygenation‐dependent functional MRI studies. Magn Reson Med 77:592–602, 2017.