Deuterium chemical shift imaging for the estimation of cerebral perfusion in rabbit infarction model.

In order to develop a new technique for the measurement of local cerebral blood flow (CBF), the deuterium chemical shift imaging (2H-CSI) technique, an application of in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), was used for the estimation of cerebral perfusion in rabbit infarction model. The 2H chemical shift images of rabbit brain were obtained every 30 seconds before and after intravenous injection of deuterated saline. The changes in 2H NMR signal intensity documented that the cerebral perfusion in the damaged area due to infarction decreased obviously compared to that in the intact area. These findings indicate that the 2H-CSI technique can be applied to the measurement of local CBF. The readily availability and limited toxicity of deuterated water may make possible to use this method in clinical cases.