In this study, pulmonary perfusion imaging using arterial spin labeling (ASL) was demonstrated in pediatric patients with pulmonary embolism. A method to quantify pulmonary vascular obstruction was proposed using ASL to estimate improvements in pulmonary perfusion following treatment, which moderately agreed with obstruction measured by CTA. Perfusion defects were successfully detected in all patients. A follow-up ASL scan also showed significantly improved perfusion in a patient following treatment, and a few patients had residual perfusion defects in ASL images that were not seen by CTA, suggesting that perfusion to the microvasculature was not immediately restored following resolution of the emboli.
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