Sickle cell disease: continuous arterial spin-labeling perfusion MR imaging in children.

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with continuous arterial spin-labeling perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in 14 children with sickle cell disease and seven control subjects. Mean CBF values were higher in patients (P <.005) than in control subjects in all cerebral artery territories. Three patients had decreased CBF in right anterior and middle cerebral artery territories compared with CBF on the left, and one patient had a profound decrease in CBF in all three territories in the right hemisphere. Baseline CBF was significantly decreased in territories seen as unaffected on conventional MR images and MR angiograms in four children with sickle cell disease.