Applications of Arterial Spin Labeling Sequence in Neuroimaging, Case Depictions with Examples: Case Series

Abstract

Since many neurological diseases are associated with altered regional cerebral flow, Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) image being a non invasive non contrast sequence, is increasingly being used and incorporated in routine protocols as an adjuvant sequence to study the regional alterations in cerebral perfusion or Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF). It demonstrates increased or decreased regional CBF in various brain pathologies reliably without the use of intravenous contrast material. In this series, ASL is increased (increased CBF) in cases of high-grade tumour, highly cellular tumours, encephalitis, tumour recurrence, acute phase of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES), and decreased in cerebral infarct, peri-infarct ischaemic penumbra, thereby making an effort to emphasise the significance and utilisation of ASL in adjunct to the other routine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) sequences.

Keywords

• cerebral perfusion
• diffusion-weighted image
• magnetic resonance imaging