Brain tissue oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been identified as potential imaging biomarkers for triaging adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA) for aggressive blood transfusion therapy for stroke prevention; however, little is known regarding how tissue-level hemodynamics are affected by transfusions. We utilized noninvasive MRI methods to assess OEF and CBF before and after transfusions in adults with SCA. Our results showed that OEF significantly reduces after transfusion and that this reduction parallels increases in blood oxygen content, while CBF is unchanged.
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