OBJECTIVE: Brain perfusion can be assessed non-invasively by modern arterial spin labeling MRI. The FAIR (flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery)-TrueFISP (true fast imaging in steady precession) technique was applied for regional assessment of cerebral blood flow in brain areas close to the skull base, since this approach provides low sensitivity to magnetic susceptibility effects. The investigation of the rhinal cortex and the amygdala is a potentially important feature for the diagnosis and research on dementia in its early stages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three subjects with no structural or psychological impairment were investigated. FAIR-True-FISP quantitative perfusion data were evaluated in the amygdala on both sides and in the pons. A preparation of the radiofrequency FOCI (frequency offset corrected inversion) pulse was used for slice selective inversion. After a time delay of 1.2 sec, data acquisition began. Imaging slice thickness was 5 mm and inversion slab thickness for slice selective inversion was 12.5 mm. Image matrix size for perfusion images was 64 x 64 with a field of view of 256 x 256 mm, resulting in a spatial resolution of 4 x 4 x 5 mm. Repetition time was 4.8 ms; echo time was 2.4 ms. Acquisition time for the 50 sets of FAIR images was 6:56 min. Data were compared with perfusion data from the literature. RESULTS: Perfusion values in the right amygdala, left amygdala and pons were 65.2 (+/- 18.2) mL/100 g/minute, 64.6 (+/- 21.0) mL/100 g/minute, and 74.4 (+/- 19.3) mL/100 g/minute, respectively. These values were higher than formerly published data using continuous arterial spin labeling but similar to 15O-PET (oxygen-15 positron emission tomography) data. CONCLUSION: The FAIR-TrueFISP approach is feasible for the quantitative assessment of perfusion in the amygdala. Data are comparable with formerly published data from the literature. The applied technique provided excellent image quality, even for brain regions located at the skull base in the vicinity of marked susceptibility steps.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amygdala/*blood supply ; *Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Dementia/diagnosis/physiopathology ; Entorhinal Cortex/*blood supply ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pons/blood supply ; Reproducibility of Results ; Spin Labels

The combination of pure motor hemiplegia and horizontal gaze palsy is a rare but identifiable lacunar syndrome. Among horizontal gaze palsies, one-and-a-half syndrome and abducens nerve palsy are reported to be associated with pure motor hemiplegia in pontine lacunar infarction. Although conjugate lateral gaze palsy is also hypothesized, pure motor hemiplegia with conjugate lateral gaze palsy has never been reported. We present a 75-year-old man who showed right hemiparesis and impaired left horizontal conjugate eyeball movement. Both the findings of the brain CT scan and those of the MRI study were consistent with a small infarction in the left midpontine tegmentum. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed no stenotic narrowing of the vertebrobasilar artery. Radiological findings suggested that pure motor hemiplegia with conjugate lateral gaze palsy, in our patient, might have been produced by the occlusion of a single penetrating branch of the basilar artery.
Aged ; Case Report ; Cerebral Infarction/*complications/diagnosis ; Hemiplegia/*complications/physiopathology ; Human ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; *Movement ; *Oculomotor Muscles ; Paralysis/*complications ; Pons/*blood supply