Development and validation of a tool for pulse wave velocity measurements in MRI phase contrast data

The pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the speed at which the pulse wave travels through the arterial vasculature, driven by the periodic motion of the beating heart. PWV serves as an indirect marker of vascular health. The PWV can be determined non-invasively if blood flow in the aorta is measured using flow sensitive MRI. Here, a tool for the extraction of the time-dependent blood flow and vessel length and for the computation of the PWV was developed. The tool's robustness was validated by intra- and interobserver comparison using exemplary patient data. Overall mean PWV was 6.44 m s^-1 ± 3.33 m s^-1, which included outliers. Results agreed well with expected physiological ranges and with previous studies. Inter- and intraobserver comparison resulted in mean differences of (-0.24 ± 0.83) m s^-1and (-0.17 ± 0.84) m s^-1. This small range implies applicability for further testing in a clinical setting and comparison with a reference standard to test for accuracy.