Blood-oxygen level dependent MRI measures of cerebrovascular reactivity using a controlled respiratory challenge: Reproducibility and gender differences

✍ Scribed by Andrea Kassner; Jeff D. Winter; Julien Poublanc; David J. Mikulis; Adrian P. Crawley

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 212 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.22044

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose:

To evaluate the reproducibility and gender differences in cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) measurements obtained using the blood‐oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to controlled changes in end‐tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO~2~).

Materials and Methods:

We obtained ethical approval to image 19 healthy volunteers (10 men, 9 women) on a 1.5 Tesla (T) MRI scanner twice on two separate days using identical procedures. CVR images were generated by collecting BOLD MRI data during controlled changes in PETCO~2~ induced by a sequential gas delivery system.

Results:

Using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), we demonstrated excellent within‐day CVR measures in gray matter (GM) (ICC = 0.92) and white matter (WM) (ICC = 0.88) regions, excellent between‐day reproducibility in GM (ICC = 0.81), and good between‐day reproducibility in the WM (ICC = 0.66). CVR values between men and women were significantly different in the GM and WM. Men exhibited a 22 ± 2% greater CVR in GM and a 17 ± 2% greater CVR in WM compared with females.

Conclusion:

Our results demonstrate the reliability of BOLD MRI CVR measurements obtained using a controlled cerebrovascular challenge. Using this technique, we also revealed significantly increased BOLD response to CO~2~ in males compared with females. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010; 31: 298–304. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.