Hemodynamic segmentation of MR brain perfusion images using independent component analysis, thresholding, and Bayesian estimation

Dynamic-susceptibility-contrast MR perfusion imaging is a widely used imaging tool for in vivo study of cerebral blood perfusion. However, visualization of different hemodynamic compartments is less investigated. In this work, independent component analysis, thresholding, and Bayesian estimation were used to concurrently segment different tissues, i.e., artery, gray matter, white matter, vein and sinus, choroid plexus, and cerebral spinal fluid, with corresponding signal-time curves on perfusion images of five normal volunteers. Based on the spatiotemporal hemodynamics, sequential passages and microcirculation of contrast-agent particles in these tissues were decomposed and analyzed. Late and multiphasic perfusion, indicating the presence of contrast agents, was observed in the choroid plexus and the cerebral spinal fluid. An arterial input function was modeled using the concentration-time curve of the arterial area on the same slice, rather than remote slices, for the deconvolution calculation of relative cerebral blood flow.