Brain perfusion territory imaging applying oblique‐plane arterial spin labeling with a standard send/receive head coil

A new method for the selective spin labeling of left‐ or right‐sided supplying arteries of the brain without the need for additional RF coils is demonstrated. A clinical 1.5 T scanner was used. The spatial selectivity of the labeling process is based on the limited coverage of the excitation field of a standard send/receive head coil together with an oblique positioning of the labeling plane. A computer simulation was used to optimize key labeling parameters under the condition of laminar flow. The validity of the computer model results was confirmed by MRI measurements with a flow model. For human studies, a double‐inversion continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) sequence was modified to allow for arbitrary positioning of the labeling plane. The obtained perfusion‐weighted images showed a clear delineation of the perfusion territories of the selected arteries in the anterior circulation of the brain and good gray/white matter contrast. Magn Reson Med 52:1443–1447, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.