Functional analysis of tissue perfusion with MR imaging

This paper investigates the relationship between the functional perfusion parameters f (the flowing fraction) and D* (the perfusion coefficient) in a model of tissue perfusion. Isolated canine kidneys were perfused with saline at selected flow rates and imaged in the head coil of a Siemens 1.5-T MR system. A perfusion-sensitive imaging sequence was used in which each of nine images showed increasing signal attenuation due to diffusion and perfusion. At 0 flow, a least-squares fit of perfusion data in a region of interest (ROI) permitted the computation of the diffusion coefficient D, in the cortex and medulla of five kidneys