Perfusion-weighted imaging of interictal hypoperfusion in temporal lobe epilepsy using FAIR-HASTE: Comparison with H₂¹⁵O PET measurements

To detect perfusion abnormalities in areas of high magnetic susceptibility in the brain, an arterial spin-labeling MRI technique utilizing flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) and half-Fourier single shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) for spin preparation and image acquisition, respectively, was developed. It was initially tested in a functional study involving visual stimulation, and was able to detect significant activation with an increase (approximately 70%) in relative cerebral blood flow. Subsequently, it was applied in a clinical situation in eight patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The perfusion-weighted images obtained showed no susceptibility artifacts even in the region of the inferior temporal lobe and were able to detect interictal hypoperfusion in TLE. The results were compared with those derived from H₂¹⁵O PET perfusion imaging in each patient. A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.75, P < 0.05) was found between results acquired from these two modalities.