Xiufeng Li1, Carl Snyder1, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele1, Kamil Ugurbil1, Gregory J. Metzger1
1Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Arterial spin labeling imaging, as a non-invasive and non-contrast enhanced approach, is very suitable for longitudinal evaluation of kidney function after transplantation, and can significantly benefit patients with renal dysfunction or other contraindications to the use of MR contrast-agent. The increased longitudinal relaxation time of the blood at ultrahigh field (UHF) can improve non-contrast enhanced perfusion imaging using ASL. To evaluate the technical challenges and potential benefits of performing renal ASL perfusion studies at UHF, the FAIR technique was implemented and used to study kidney perfusion in normal healthy controls. In this article, our initial experience and results are presented.