Venous vessel size imaging derived from a breath-hold task

Motivation: Vessel size imaging, which provides a measure for the vessel radius, is usually performed by injection of contrast agent. Venous vessel radius imaging is also possible by exploiting hypercapnia and hyperoxia. However, these respiratory challenges need external devices such as special masks and monitors. Goal(s): The question would be if we could measure vessel size wihtout contrast agent in a simple setup. Approach: In this study, we employ a breath-hold task that doesn’t need external devices to mimic hypercapnia for the measurement of venous vessel size. Results: Mean venous vessel radii in GM and WM are 11.5±3 and 8.3±2 µm from initial tests. Impact: Mean venous vessel radii during hypercapnia were 7.3±0.3 µm in GM and 6.6±0.5 µm in WM, respectively, from a previous study. Our results are close to these parameters. This study presents the feasibility of VSI using a breath-hold task.