Two MRI scans compared for measuring blood flow in brain tumors
Original title: Diffuse glioma perfusion quantification with ASL and DSC: a head-to-head comparison with 15O-H2O PET.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was a very small scan study in people, and it tested imaging, not treatment.
The short version
A small study compared two MRI scans and found one matched a gold standard test more closely.
What was studied. Eight people with grade 2 to 4 gliomas had brain scans. Researchers compared two MRI methods, called ASL and DSC, against a PET scan. The PET scan is treated as the gold standard for blood flow.
What they found. In healthy looking brain tissue, ASL matched the PET scan more closely than DSC did. Inside the tumors, ASL again matched the PET scan more closely, point by point. When only the highest blood flow spot in the tumor was compared, the two methods did about the same.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: ASL may work as a stand in for DSC when doctors look at blood flow in a glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary. Both scans still had trouble in some tumors. Neither one fully matched the PET scan in every case.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment and it is not a cure. It only compares scans, so it does not tell you if a tumor will shrink or grow. The study included only eight people, which is very small. It does not change the scan your doctor orders today. Larger studies are needed first.
Source: PubMed, August 5, 2026 · Read the original
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