Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose was to determine the reproducibility and utility of rest, exercise, and perfusion reserve (PR) measures by contrast-enhanced (CE) calf perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the calf in normal subjects (NL) and patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).MethodsEleven PAD patients with claudication (ankle-brachial index 0.67 ±0.14) and 16 age-matched NL underwent symptom-limited CE-MRI using a pedal ergometer. Tissue perfusion and arterial input were measured at rest and peak exercise after injection of 0.1 mM/kg of gadolinium-diethylnetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA). Tissue function (TF) and arterial input function (AIF) measurements were made from the slope of time-intensity curves in muscle and artery, respectively, and normalized to proton density signal to correct for coil inhomogeneity. Perfusion index (PI) = TF/AIF. Perfusion reserve (PR) = exercise TF/ rest TF. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated from 11 NL and 10 PAD with repeated MRI on a different day.ResultsResting TF was low in NL and PAD (mean ± SD 0.25 ± 0.18 vs 0.35 ± 0.71, p = 0.59) but reproducible (ICC 0.76). Exercise TF was higher in NL than PAD (5.5 ± 3.2 vs. 3.4 ± 1.6, p = 0.04). Perfusion reserve was similar between groups and highly variable (28.6 ± 19.8 vs. 42.6 ± 41.0, p = 0.26). Exercise TF and PI were reproducible measures (ICC 0.63 and 0.60, respectively).ConclusionAlthough rest measures are reproducible, they are quite low, do not distinguish NL from PAD, and lead to variability in perfusion reserve measures. Exercise TF and PI are the most reproducible MRI perfusion measures in PAD for use in clinical trials.

Highlights

  • The purpose was to determine the reproducibility and utility of rest, exercise, and perfusion reserve (PR) measures by contrast-enhanced (CE) calf perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the calf in normal subjects (NL) and patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

  • We have previously demonstrated that first-pass exercise calf perfusion with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can distinguish between subjects with PAD and normal controls who performed workload matched to the PAD group as well as exercised maximally [4]

  • Amongst the PAD patients, 82% had a history of CAD, 91% had a history of previous or current tobacco use, and 3 patients had prior cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

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Summary

Introduction

The purpose was to determine the reproducibility and utility of rest, exercise, and perfusion reserve (PR) measures by contrast-enhanced (CE) calf perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the calf in normal subjects (NL) and patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We have previously demonstrated that first-pass exercise calf perfusion with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can distinguish between subjects with PAD and normal controls who performed workload matched to the PAD group as well as exercised maximally [4]. Quantification of skeletal muscle flow reserve (the ratio of exercise to rest blood flow) using contrastenhanced exercise (ultrasound) stress calf perfusion predicts claudication threshold in PAD [6]. The goal of the present study was to determine the reproducibility of exercise calf perfusion measurements and perfusion reserve using contrast-enhanced MRI in a group of normal subjects and PAD patients

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