

HR, RR, systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) significantly increased after dobutamine infusion. Binary logistic regression was used to test for the independent determinants of CBF changes. The anatomic features of the circle of Willis and the basilar artery (BA) diameter were assessed on MRA images by two radiologists with extensive neuroimaging experience.

Electrocardiogram, heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), blood pressure, and blood oxygen were simultaneously recorded before and during dobutamine injection and during recovery (not during MRI). Additionally, cerebrovascular morphology was obtained based on 3D-time-off-light (3D-TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Methodsįorty-eight healthy volunteers without cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease underwent MRI to obtain cerebral blood flow (CBF) maps using 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling before and during the dobutamine stress test. Therefore, we investigated the effects of dobutamine on cerebral hemodynamics. Cerebral microcirculation plays an important role in ensuring adequate oxygen transport. It is unclear whether dobutamine, commonly used clinically in echocardiography and short-term congestive heart failure treatment for promoting increased myocardial contractility, affects brain microcirculatory behavior.
