Utilizing Blood Clots as Intrinsic Contrast Agents in Postmortem Vascular MRI at 7T
Motivation: While in vivo vascular imaging is well-characterized, the imaging features of vascular morphology and properties in postmortem brain samples remain poorly understood. Goal(s): To characterize postmortem brain vascular MRI features compared to in vivo imaging. Approach: We hypothesized to use blood clot as intrinsic contrast and use high-resolution T2*-weighted gradient echo imaging on both clinical and preclinical 7T scanners, with histopathological staining to validate blood clot formation. Results: Postmortem blood vessels showed contrast patterns similar to in vivo Ferumoxytol-enhanced SWI, particularly in smaller vessels, suggesting distinct changes in blood properties after death. Impact: The imaging characteristics of postmortem blood clots on T2*-W MRI enable detailed mapping of brain small vessel architecture, with contrast similar to in vivo Ferumoxytol-enhanced imaging, offering a novel method to study postmortem vasculature and imaging correlates to vascular pathology.
Authors
- Orrin Devinsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0044-4632)
- Youssef Zaim Wadghiri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7175-9397)
- Dominique Leitner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1371-9861)
- Arline Faustin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1147-9665)
- Li Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5351-1096)
- Yulin Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2320-6031)
- Huize Pang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3930-8178)
- Jiangyang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0740-2662)
- Thomas Wısnıewskı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3379-8966)
- Mary T. Bruno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1625-0293)
- Miaoqi Zhang
- Annie Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0348-8104)
- Chenyang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0059-4174)
- Zhe Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6043-8675)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition
- Published
- 2025-09-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.58530/2025/1218
- Primary Topic
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00