Abstract:

As a kind of non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques, arterial spin labeling (ASL) takes full advantage of arterial blood as an endogenous tracer to track changes of blood flow caused by lesions and to obtain the physiological and pathological information of relative tissues avoiding patients’ discomfort and potential danger. This review focused on working principle and categories of ASL, the comparisons with other methods, clinical application, and future prospects of ASL.

Key words: Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Perfusion, Arterial spin labeling