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Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an MRI technique that was first proposed a quarter of a century ago. It offers the prospect of non-invasive quantitative measurement of cerebral perfusion, making it potentially very useful for research and clinical studies, particularly where multiple longitudinal measurements are required. However, it has suffered from a number of challenges, including a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio, and a confusing number of sequence variants, thus hindering its clinical uptake. Recently, however, there has been a consensus adoption of an accepted acquisition and analysis framework for ASL, and thus a better penetration onto clinical MRI scanners. Here, we review the basic concepts in ASL and describe the current state-of-the-art acquisition and analysis approaches, and the versatility of the method to perform both quantitative cerebral perfusion measurement, along with quantitative cerebral angiographic measurement.

Original publication

DOI

10.1177/0271678X17743240

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab

Publication Date

04/2018

Volume

38

Pages

603 - 626

Keywords

Magnetic resonance imaging, angiography, arterial spin labeling, perfusion imaging, Animals, Cerebral Angiography, Cerebral Arteries, Cerebrovascular Circulation, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Perfusion Imaging, Spin Labels