A generalized phase-contrast MRI method successfully quantified turbulence intensity in an in vitro flow phantom, comparing favorably with laser Doppler anemometry results.
Does generalized phase-contrast MRI accurately quantify turbulence intensity compared to laser Doppler anemometry in an in vitro flow phantom?
A novel phase-contrast MRI method allows for noninvasive quantitative assessment of turbulence intensity, showing favorable agreement with laser Doppler anemometry in an in vitro model.
Turbulent flow, characterized by velocity fluctuations, is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular diseases. A clinical noninvasive tool for assessing turbulence is lacking, however. It is well known that the occurrence of multiple spin velocities within a voxel during the influence of a magnetic gradient moment causes signal loss in phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI). In this paper a mathematical derivation of an expression for computing the standard deviation (SD) of the blood flow velocity distribution within a voxel is presented. The SD is obtained from the magnitude of PC-MRI signals acquired with different first gradient moments. By exploiting the relation between the SD and turbulence intensity (TI), this method allows for quantitative studies of turbulence. For validation, the TI in an in vitro flow phantom was quantified, and the results compared favorably with previously published laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) results. This method has the potential to become an important tool for the noninvasive assessment of turbulence in the arterial tree.
Dyverfeldt et al. (2006) studied Cardiovascular diseases. Generalized phase-contrast MRI vs. Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) was evaluated on Turbulence intensity (TI) quantification. A generalized phase-contrast MRI method successfully quantified turbulence intensity in an in vitro flow phantom, comparing favorably with laser Doppler anemometry results.