Venous Vessel Size MRI in the Human Brain using Transient Hyperoxia

Yuji Shen¹, Trevor Ahearn¹, Matthew Clemence², Christian Schwarzbauer¹

Hyperoxia-induced BOLD contrast was employed to measure the mean venous vessel size in the human brain using a combined GE and SE EPI sequence. The experimental paradigm consisted of two 3-minute blocks of breathing 100% O2 interleaved with three 2-minute blocks of breathing room air. The vessel size index q = R2*/R2 was calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis and then converted to a map of the vessel radius based on a calibration curve obtained from a biophysical tissue model.