Hematocrit and Oxygenation Dependence of Blood 1H2O T1 at 7 Tesla

Knowledge of blood (H2O)-H-1 T-1 is critical for perfusion-based quantification experiments such as arterial spin labeling and cerebral blood volume-weighted MRI using vascular space occupancy. The dependence of blood (H2O)-H-1 T-1 on hematocrit fraction (Hct) and oxygen saturation fraction (Y) was determined at 7 T using in vitro bovine blood in a circulating system under physiological conditions. Blood (H2O)-H-1 R-1 values for different conditions could be readily fitted using a two-compartment (erythrocyte and plasma) model, which are described by a monoexponential longitudinal relaxation rate constant dependence. It was found that T-1 = 2171 +/- 39 ms for Y = 1 (arterial blood) and 2010 +/- 41 ms for Y = 0.6 (venous blood), for a typical Hct of 0.42. The blood (H2O)-H-1 T-1 values in the normal physiological range (Hct from 0.35 to 0.45, and Y from 0.6 to 1.0) were determined to range from 1900 to 2300 ms. The influence of oxygen partial pressure (pO(2)) and the effect of plasma osmolality for different anticoagulants were also investigated. It is discussed why blood (H2O)-H-1 T-1 values measured in vivo for human blood may be about 10-20% larger than found in vitro for bovine blood at the same field strength. Magn Reson Med, 70:1153-1159, 2013. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.