Correlation of magnetic angiography with relative cerebral blood flow on arterial spin labeling using magnetic resonance imaging in acute ischemic stroke patients

Abstract

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke is one of the three main causes of death in developed countries. RISKESDAS data of 2013 depicted the fact that the prevalence rate of stroke was 12.1 per 1,000 population. CT protocol and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are excellent evaluations of acute ischemic stroke. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is an MRI technique to delineate arteries and evaluate stenosis and occlusion. Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI is quantitative and non-invasive, does not require Gadolinium contrast, measures cerebral blood flow, is useful for performing perfusion-based functional MRI (fMRI), and is able to be reevaluated. The study aimed to analyze the correlation between MRA and the relative Cerebral Blood Flow on ASL in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: The study aimed to analyze the correlation between MRA and the relative Cerebral Blood Flow on ASL in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Results: The patients with acute ischemic stroke were in the age category of 40 years or more (92.3%) with the average age of the patients was 56.96 years  14.05. The youngest patient was 8 years old and the oldest one was 79 years old. Most of them were women (56.5%) with the most comorbid hypertension (45.7%) and diabetes mellitus (34.8%). The results of the evaluation after agreeing the consent portrayed that MRA was normal in 10 patients (21.7%) and there was stenosis or occlusion in 36 patients (78.3%). ASL examination showed that 20 patients (43.5%) were normal, whereas 26 patients (56.5%) were decreased. Conclusion: Phi value was 0.601 (p < 0.05), meaning that there was a strong relationship between the results of MRA examination and ASL.