Liao Zhenhong, Wang Zhouxuan, Ma Chun, Huang Mengqi, Zhang Xiaoyong, Deng Chengmiao, Chen Lin, Sun Jiayu
Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Department of Radiology, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China.
Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2025 Sep 1;15(9):8137-8152. doi: 10.21037/qims-2025-411. Epub 2025 Aug 18.
The early identification of abnormal blood supply to the femoral head is crucial for timely intervention. High-resolution phase-contrast quantitative-flow (Q-flow) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising non-invasive technique for quantitatively assessing blood flow to the femoral head. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of Q-flow in quantifying blood flow to the femoral head.
This prospective study included 10 healthy volunteers (mean age =35±8.38 years, 6 women), 10 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who were using corticosteroids (mean age =36.1±5.47 years), and 10 age-matched healthy women for the SLE patients, who served as controls (mean age =36.2±4.83 years). Q-flow scans were performed on all the participants from October 2023 to August 2024. Q-flow reliability, including retest reliability between scans, and intra- and inter-rater reliability, was evaluated using data from the healthy volunteers. Further, the efficacy of Q-flow was evaluated by comparing the quantification data between the SLE and control groups.
Q-flow showed good-to-excellent reliability for the arterial flow parameters [intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.61-1], except for the regurgitant fraction (RF; ICC: 0.01-0.97). Q-flow also showed good-to-excellent reliability for the vein flow parameters (ICC: 0.63-1), except for the retest reliability of the RF (ICC: 0.04-0.9), mean velocity (MV; ICC: 0.46-0.84), and peak systolic velocity (PSV; ICC: 0.5-0.73). Compared with the controls, the SLE patients had significantly reduced arterial flow in the medial femoral circumflex artery (MFCA) [stroke and stroke distance (SD), P=0.01 and P<0.01], lateral femoral circumflex artery (LFCA) [stroke, mean flux (MF), SD, MV, and PSV, all P<0.01], and deep MFCA (stroke, MF, SD, MV, and PSV, all P<0.01).
The high-resolution phase-contrast Q-flow technique exhibited acceptable reliability and the capacity to detect early changes in arterial blood flow to the femoral head, highlighting its potential clinical applicability.
股骨头血供异常的早期识别对于及时干预至关重要。高分辨率相位对比定量血流（Q-flow）磁共振成像（MRI）是一种很有前景的非侵入性技术，可用于定量评估股骨头的血流。本研究旨在评估Q-flow在定量评估股骨头血流方面的可行性和可靠性。
这项前瞻性研究纳入了10名健康志愿者（平均年龄=35±8.38岁，6名女性）、10名正在使用皮质类固醇的系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）女性患者（平均年龄=36.1±5.47岁）以及10名年龄匹配的健康女性作为SLE患者的对照（平均年龄=36.2±4.83岁）。2023年10月至2024年8月对所有参与者进行了Q-flow扫描。使用健康志愿者的数据评估Q-flow的可靠性，包括扫描之间的重测可靠性以及评分者内和评分者间的可靠性。此外，通过比较SLE组和对照组的定量数据来评估Q-flow的有效性。
除反流分数（RF；组内相关系数[ICC]：0.01 - 0.97）外，Q-flow对动脉血流参数显示出良好至极好的可靠性（ICC：0.61 - 1）。对于静脉血流参数，Q-flow也显示出良好至极好的可靠性（ICC：0.63 - 1），但RF的重测可靠性（ICC：0.04 - 0.9）、平均速度（MV；ICC：0.46 - 0.84）和收缩期峰值速度（PSV；ICC：0.5 - 0.73）除外。与对照组相比，SLE患者的旋股内侧动脉（MFCA）[每搏输出量和每搏输出距离（SD），P = 0.01和P < 0.01]、旋股外侧动脉（LFCA）[每搏输出量、平均血流量（MF）、SD、MV和PSV，均P < 0.01]以及深部MFCA（每搏输出量、MF、SD、MV和PSV，均P < 0.01）的动脉血流明显减少。
高分辨率相位对比Q-flow技术表现出可接受的可靠性以及检测股骨头动脉血流早期变化的能力，突出了其潜在的临床适用性。
