Johannes M. Froehlich1,2, Michael A. Patak1,
Constantin von Weymarn2, Nicole Graf3, Aleksis Doert2,
Edwin Willemse2, Christoph A. Binkert2, Andreas Gutzeit2
1Institute of Diagnostic,
Interventional and Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital, Bern,
Switzerland; 2MR Research, Kantonsspital Winterthur, Winterthur,
Switzerland; 3Clinical Trials Center, University Hospital, Zrich,
Switzerland
The
aim of our prospective volunteer study was to develop and validate a new MR
technique based on phase-contrast pulse sequences to measure intraluminal
flux of the gastrointestinal content in single segments of the small bowel.
Time-resolved small bowel flux was successfully measured in single distended
small bowel loops within all 10 volunteers. A mean flow-rate of 0.188 ml/sec
(range 0.027-0.516ml/sec) with a standard deviation of 0.144ml/sec resulted.
Phase-contrast sequences together with low gadolinium concentrations allow
measuring even low flow-rates within the small bowel highlightening its
physiology as validated with a high degree of accuracy (R=0.999) in a phantom
study.