(ASL) A MR image can be sensitized to the effect of inflowing blood
spins if those
spins are in a different magnetic state to that of the static tissue. Techniques known as ASL techniques uses this idea by magnetically labeling blood flowing into the slices of interest.
Contrast agents are not required for these techniques. This perfusion measurement is completely noninvasive.
Blood flowing into the imaging
slice exchanges with tissue water, altering the tissue
magnetization. A perfusion-weighted image can be generated by the subtraction of an image in which inflowing
spins have been labeled from an image in which
spin labeling has not been performed.
Quantitative perfusion maps can be calculated if other parameters (such as tissue T1 and the efficiency of
spin labeling) also are measured.