REGIONAL MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN-TENSION - F-19 MRI OF SEQUESTERED PERFLUOROCARBON

A novel noninvasive method of measuring local myocardial oxygen tensio n (pO(2)) in the perfused rat heart using F-19 MRI is demonstrated, Ti ssue pO(2) was determined on the basis of the F-19 spin-lattice relaxa tion rate (R1) of perflubron (perfluorooctyl bromide) sequestered in t he heart after IV infusion of an emulsion, Spectroscopic measurement o f R1 was previously used to measure a global weighted average of oxyge n status. F-19 MRI now provides 3D spatial resolution indicating local cardiac pO(2) under normally perfused, globally ischemic, and regiona lly ischemic conditions.