Computed tomography perfusion evaluation after extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Perfusion imaging is increasingly used for postoperative evaluation of extracranial to intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery. Altered hemodynamics and delayed arrival of the contrast agent in the area fed by the bypass can influence perfusion measurement. We compared perfusion asymmetry obtained with different algorithms in EC-IC bypass surgery patients. METHODS: We retrospectively identified all patients evaluated with computed tomography perfusion (CTP) between May 2007 and May 2011 after EC-IC bypass surgery at our institution. CTP images were analyzed with three perfusion algorithms that differ among their ability to anticipate for delayed arrival time of contrast material: the delay-sensitive first-moment mean transit time (fMTT), the semi-delay-sensitive standard singular value decomposition (sSVD) and the delay-insensitive block-circulant SVD (bSVD). The interhemispheric difference in bolus arrival time (ΔBAT) was determined to confirm altered hemodynamics. Interhemispheric asymmetry in perfusion values (mean transit time (MTT) difference, cerebral blood flow (CBF) ratio and cerebral blood volume (CBV) ratio) was compared between the three algorithms. Presence of a new infarct in the treated hemisphere was evaluated on follow-up imaging and perfusion asymmetry was compared between patients with and without infarction. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were included. The median interhemispheric difference in ΔBAT was 0.98 s. The median MTT difference was significantly smaller when calculated with the delay-insensitive algorithm than with the other algorithms (0.44 s versus 0.90 s and 0.93 s, p<0.01). The CBF ratio was similar for all algorithms (111.98 versus 112.59 and 112.60). The CBV ratio was similar for all algorithms (113.20 versus 111.95 and 113.97). There was a significant difference in MTT asymmetry between patients with and without infarction with the delay-insensitive algorithm only (1.57 s versus 0.38 s, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: In patients with EC-IC bypass surgery, delay-sensitive algorithms showed larger MTT asymmetry than delay-insensitive algorithms. Furthermore, only the delay-insensitive method seems to differentiate between patients with and without infarction on follow-up.

Effect of extended CT perfusion acquisition time on ischemic core and penumbra volume estimation in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to a large vessel occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It has been suggested that CT Perfusion acquisition times <60 seconds are too short to capture the complete in and out-wash of contrast in the tissue, resulting in incomplete time attenuation curves. Yet, these short acquisitions times are not uncommon in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of time attenuation curve truncation in 48 seconds CT Perfusion acquisition and to quantify its effect on ischemic core and penumbra estimation in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to a proximal intracranial arterial occlusion of the anterior circulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed CT Perfusion data with 48 seconds and extended acquisition times, assuring full time attenuation curves, of 36 patients. Time attenuation curves were classified as complete or truncated. Ischemic core and penumbra volumes resulting from both data sets were compared by median paired differences and interquartile ranges. Controlled experiments were performed using a digital CT Perfusion phantom to investigate the effect of time attenuation curve truncation on ischemic core and penumbra estimation. RESULTS: In 48 seconds acquisition data, truncation was observed in 24 (67%) cases for the time attenuation curves in the ischemic core, in 2 cases for the arterial input function and in 5 cases for the venous output function. Analysis of extended data resulted in smaller ischemic cores and larger penumbras with a median difference of 13.2 (IQR: 4.3-26.0) ml (P<0.001) and; 12.4 (IQR: 4.1-25.7) ml (P<0.001), respectively. The phantom data showed increasing ischemic core overestimation with increasing tissue time attenuation curve truncation. CONCLUSIONS: Truncation is common in patients with large vessel occlusion and results in repartitioning of the area of hypoperfusion into larger ischemic core and smaller penumbra estimations. Phantom experiments confirmed that truncation results in overestimation of the ischemic core.

Comparison of partial volume effects in arterial and venous contrast curves in CT brain perfusion imaging.

PURPOSE: In brain CT perfusion (CTP), the arterial contrast bolus is scaled to have the same area under the curve (AUC) as the venous outflow to correct for partial volume effects (PVE). This scaling is based on the assumption that large veins are unaffected by PVE. Measurement of the internal carotid artery (ICA), usually unaffected by PVE due to its large diameter, may avoid the need for partial volume correction. The aims of this work are to examine i) the assumptions behind PVE correction and ii) the potential of selecting the ICA obviating correction for PVE. METHODS: The AUC of the ICA and sagittal sinus were measured in CTP datasets from 52 patients. The AUCs were determined by i) using commercial CTP software based on a Gaussian curve-fitting to the time attenuation curve, and ii) by simple integration of the time attenuation curve over a time interval. In addition, frames acquired up to 3 minutes after first bolus passage were used to examine the ratio of arterial and venous enhancement. The impact of selecting the ICA without PVE correction was illustrated by reporting cerebral blood volume (CBV) measurements. RESULTS: In 49 of 52 patients, the AUC of the ICA was significantly larger than that of the sagittal sinus (p = 0.017). Measured after the first pass bolus, contrast enhancement remained 50% higher in the ICA just after the first pass bolus, and 30% higher 3 minutes later. CBV measurements were significantly lowered when the ICA was used without PVE correction. CONCLUSIONS: Contradicting the assumptions underlying PVE correction, contrast in the ICA was significantly higher than in the sagittal sinus, even 3 minutes after the first pass of the contrast bolus. PVE correction might lead to overestimation of CBV if the CBV is calculated using the AUC of the time attenuation curves.

Radiation dose reduction in cerebral CT perfusion imaging using iterative reconstruction.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether iterative reconstruction (IR) in cerebral CT perfusion (CTP) allows for 50% dose reduction while maintaining image quality (IQ). METHODS: A total of 48 CTP examinations were reconstructed into a standard dose (150 mAs) with filtered back projection (FBP) and half-dose (75 mAs) with two strengths of IR (middle and high). Objective IQ (quantitative perfusion values, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), penumbra, infarct area and penumbra/infarct (P/I) index) and subjective IQ (diagnostic IQ on a four-point Likert scale and overall IQ binomial) were compared among the reconstructions. RESULTS: Half-dose CTP with high IR level had, compared with standard dose with FBP, similar objective (grey matter cerebral blood volume (CBV) 4.4 versus 4.3 mL/100 g, CNR 1.59 versus 1.64 and P/I index 0.74 versus 0.73, respectively) and subjective diagnostic IQ (mean Likert scale 1.42 versus 1.49, respectively). The overall IQ in half-dose with high IR level was scored lower in 26-31%. Half-dose with FBP and with the middle IR level were inferior to standard dose with FBP. CONCLUSION: With the use of IR in CTP imaging it is possible to examine patients with a half dose without significantly altering the objective and diagnostic IQ. The standard dose with FBP is still preferable in terms of subjective overall IQ in about one quarter of patients. KEY POINTS: • Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) is increasingly important in ischaemia imaging. • Radiation exposure of CTP is a drawback. • Iterative reconstruction (IR) allows reduction of radiation dose in unenhanced head CT. • CTP IR enables 50% dose reduction without altering objective and diagnostic quality.

A fast nonlinear regression method for estimating permeability in CT perfusion imaging.

Blood-brain barrier damage, which can be quantified by measuring vascular permeability, is a potential predictor for hemorrhagic transformation in acute ischemic stroke. Permeability is commonly estimated by applying Patlak analysis to computed tomography (CT) perfusion data, but this method lacks precision. Applying more elaborate kinetic models by means of nonlinear regression (NLR) may improve precision, but is more time consuming and therefore less appropriate in an acute stroke setting. We propose a simplified NLR method that may be faster and still precise enough for clinical use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability of in total 12 variations of Patlak analysis and NLR methods, including the simplified NLR method. Confidence intervals for the permeability estimates were evaluated using simulated CT attenuation-time curves with realistic noise, and clinical data from 20 patients. Although fixating the blood volume improved Patlak analysis, the NLR methods yielded significantly more reliable estimates, but took up to 12 × longer to calculate. The simplified NLR method was ∼4 × faster than other NLR methods, while maintaining the same confidence intervals (CIs). In conclusion, the simplified NLR method is a new, reliable way to estimate permeability in stroke, fast enough for clinical application in an acute stroke setting.

Optimisation of vascular input and output functions in CT-perfusion imaging using 256(or more)-slice multidetector CT.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of CT-perfusion (CTP) by finding the optimal artery for the arterial input function (AIF) and re-evaluating the necessity of the venous output function (VOF). METHODS: Forty-four acute ischaemic stroke patients who underwent non-enhanced CT, CTP and CT-angiography using 256-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) were evaluated. The anterior cerebral artery (ACA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), internal carotid artery (ICA) and basilar artery were selected as the AIF. Subsequently the resulting area under the time-enhancement curve of the AIF (AUCAIF) and quantitative perfusion measurements were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA and subsequently the paired t test. To evaluate reproducibility we examined if the VOF could be deleted by comparing the perfusion measurements using versus not using the VOF (paired t test). RESULTS: The AUCAIF and perfusion measurements resulting from the different AIFs showed significant group differences (all P < 0.0001). The ICA had the largest AUCAIF and resulted in the highest mean transient time (MTT) and lowest cerebral blood flow (CBF), whereas the basilar artery showed the lowest cerebral blood volume (CBV). Not using the VOF showed significantly higher CBV and CBF in 66 % of patients on the ipsilateral (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.007, respectively) and contralateral hemisphere (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.019, respectively). CONCLUSION: Selecting the ICA as the AIF and continuing the use of the VOF would improve the accuracy of CTP. KEY POINTS: • Perfusion imaging is an increasingly important aspect of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). • Vascular input functions were evaluated for CT-perfusion using 256-slice MDCT. • Selecting different arterial input functions (AIFs) leads to variation in quantitative values. • Using the internal carotid artery for AIF provides optimal perfusion values. • Deleting the venous output function would be detrimental for validity.

Validation of CT brain perfusion methods using a realistic dynamic head phantom.

PURPOSE: Development and evaluation of a realistic hybrid head phantom for the validation of quantitative CT brain perfusion methods. METHODS: A combination, or hybrid, of CT images of an anthropomorphic head phantom together with clinically acquired MRI brain images was used to construct a dynamic hybrid head phantom. Essential CT imaging parameters such as spatially dependent noise, effects of resolution, tube settings, and reconstruction parameters were intrinsically included by scanning a skull phantom using CT perfusion (CTP) protocols with varying mAs. These data were combined with processed high resolution 7T clinical MRI images to include healthy and diseased brain parenchyma, as well as the cerebral vascular system. Time attenuation curves emulating contrast bolus passage based on perfusion as observed in clinical studies were added. Using the phantom, CTP images were generated using three brain perfusion calculation methods: bcSVD, sSVD, and fit-based deconvolution, and the linearity and accuracy of the three calculation methods was assessed. Dependency of perfusion outcome on calculation method was compared to clinical data. Furthermore, the potential of the phantom to optimize brain perfusion packages was investigated. RESULTS: All perfusion calculation methods showed overestimation of low perfusion values and underestimation of high perfusion values. Good correlation in behavior between phantom and clinical data was found (R2 = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: A dynamic hybrid head phantom constructed from CT and MRI data was demonstrated to realistically represent clinical CTP studies, which is useful for assessing CT brain perfusion acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis.