ASSESSMENT OF MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION BY **1**9F NMR IMAGING.

The evaluation of blood flow and perfusion in tissues is of considerable physiologic and diagnostic importance. Whereas **1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI) has shown some promise for evaluation of blood flow in linear portions of large vessels, no demonstration of tissue perfusion has been made with **1H NMRI. Several complications arise in trying to use hydrogen for flow measurements which are alleviated by the use of **1**9F-labeled compounds. The purpose of this study was the demonstration of myocardial perfusion by **1**9F NMRI using a water soluble **1**9F-labeled compound. The results of this study show the ability of **1**9F NMRI to detect the lack of myocardial perfusion in a model using coronary arterial ligation.