Assessment of Pulsatility Index of Lenticulostriate Arteries using 2D PC-MRI with Dual-VENC in elderly adults at 7T: A Preliminary Study

Motivation: LSA plays an important role in the pathology of small vessel disease. Directly assessing LSA pulsatility may offer valuable insight into SVD pathology. Goal(s): To assess the utility of 7T dual-VENC PC-MRI for the LSA pulsatility assessment in elderly adults by investigating its association with age and cognitive impairment. Approach: LSA pulsatility was assessed using 7T PC-MRI using both dual- and single-VENC on 25 elderly participants. Cognitive tests including MMSE and MOCA were conducted. Results: Our results showed that the LSA pulsatility was significantly correlated with upstream major arteries and increased LSA pulsatility was associated with aging, education level, and cognitive impairment. Impact: Increased LSA pulsatility measured by dual-VENC PC-MRI shows a strong association with aging, education, and cognitive impairment. Compared to single-VENC, dual-VENC PC-MRI enhanced the detection and characterization of LSAs, providing a promising imaging tool for investigating vascular pathology of SVD.