Evaluation of foot hypoperfusion and estimation of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty outcome in patients with critical limb ischemia using intravoxel incoherent motion microperfusion MRI.

To emerge hypoperfusion of lower limbs in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) using Intravoxel Incoherent Motion microperfusion magnetic resonance imaging (IVIM-MRI). Moreover to examine the ability of IVIM-MRI to differentiate patients with severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD) from normal subjects and evaluate the percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) results in patients with CLI. Eight patients who presented with CLI and six healthy volunteers were examined. The patients underwent IVIM-MRI of lower extremity before and following PTA. The imaging protocol included sagittal diffusion-weighted (DW) sequences. DW images were analyzed and color parametric maps of the micro-circulation of blood inside the capillary network (D*) were constructed. The studies were evaluated by two observers to define interobserver reproducibility. Technical success was achieved in all patients (8/8). The mean ankle-brachial index increased from 0.35 ± 0.2 to 0.76 ± 0.25 ( IVIM-MRI can detect differences in microperfusion between patients with PAD and healthy individuals. Moreover, significant restitution of IVIM microperfusion is found following successful PTA. IVIM-MRI is a safe, reproducible and effective modality for evaluation of lower limb hypoperfusion in patients with PAD. It seems also to be a helpful tool to detect changes of tissue perfusion in patients with CLI following revascularization.