Quantification of blood flow using MR imaging with pre-saturation band

A velocity profile was obtained by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a pre-saturation band (PSB) and automatically analyzed using a personal computer with the data transferred through the picture archiving communication system (PACS). A phantom study showed a good correlation of the measured flow rate to the actual volumetric flow rate (Rand2=0.984; MR rate=0.11 + 0.90 x actual rate ml/min). Images were also obtained in 11 healthy fasting male volunteers during a 16-sec breath-hold. The average portal blood flow of these subjects was 16.2+5.0 mil/min/kg body weight. Quantitative MR imaging with PSB is a practical and noninvasive technique for measuring volumetric flow rate in the portal venous system. (author)