Supplementary Material for: Using High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Estimate Distensibility of the Middle Cerebral Artery Warnert E.A.H. Verbree J. Wise R.G. van Osch M.J.P. 10.6084/m9.figshare.3497840.v1 https://karger.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplementary_Material_for_Using_High-Field_Magnetic_Resonance_Imaging_to_Estimate_Distensibility_of_the_Middle_Cerebral_Artery/3497840 <i>Background:</i> Although cerebral arterial stiffness may be an important marker for cerebrovascular health, there is not yet a measurement that accurately reflects the distensibility of major intracranial arteries. Herein, we aim to noninvasively measure distension of the human middle cerebral artery (MCA). <i>Methods:</i> Ten healthy volunteers (age: 30.3 ± 10.8 years) underwent ultra-high-field (7-tesla) MRI scanning. Time-of-flight angiography and phase-contrast flow imaging were used to locate the M1 segment of the MCA and to determine the occurrence of systole and diastole. High-resolution cross-sectional cardiac triggered T2-weighted images of the M1 segment of the MCA were acquired in systole and diastole. <i>Results:</i> The average distension of the MCA area from diastole to systole was 2.58% (range: 0.08%-6.48%). There was no significant correlation between MCA distension and the pulsatility index, calculated from the phase-contrast flow velocity profiles. <i>Conclusion:</i> These results lead to the first noninvasive image-based estimation of distensibility of the MCA (approx. 5.8 × 10-4 mm Hg-1) and demonstrate that ultra-high-field MRI could be a promising tool for investigating distensibility of intracranial arteries in relation to cerebrovascular pathology. 2016-07-25 14:06:32 Arterial stiffness Arterial structure/compliance Cerebral small vessel disease Middle cerebral artery Ultra-high-field MRI