Simulation of Phase-Contrast MRI Intravoxel Velocity Standard Deviation (IVSD) Mapping

Sven Petersson¹, Petter Dyverfeldt¹, Roland Grdhagen¹, Matts Karlsson¹, Tino Ebbers¹

Disturbed blood flow, characterized by velocity fluctuations, accompanies many cardiovascular diseases. PC-MRI intravoxel velocity standard deviation (IVSD) mapping permits the quantification of the intensity of these velocity fluctuations; turbulence intensity. Here, a PC-MRI IVSD measurement in stenotic flow was simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data obtained by large eddy simulations. The PC-MRI simulation showed overall strong similarities the CFD simulation and in-vitro measurement. The simulation of PC-MRI of fluctuating flow may facilitate controlled studies of the effects of velocity fluctuations on the PC-MRI signal and the optimization of IVSD mapping.