Description of Research Expertise

I am primarily interested in the imaging of acute and chronic cerebrovascular disease. The immediate goal of current projects is to gain a better understanding of carotid atherosclerosis and its relationship to stroke using structural MR and CT techniques. The long-term goal is to integrate structural imaging of the brain and extracranial and intracranial blood vessels with functional imaging methods of the brain, including perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI), diffusion-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging (DWI and DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and/or spectroscopy in order to generate a comprehensive exam for the evaluation of cerebrovascular disease. I have a particular interest in perfusion imaging of the brain using a variety of techniques, including bolus contrast CT and MR perfusion, stable xenon CT perfusion, and arterial spin labeled (ASL) perfusion imaging. This interest targets not only cerebrovascular disease but also nonischemic pathology, especially CNS neoplasms and associated treatment effects.

Selected Publications

Wolf RL (Guest Editor): Essentials of Neuroradiology Radiol Clin North Am 44 (1): 2006.

Jones CE, Wolf RL, Detre JA, Das B, Saha PK, Wang J, Zhang Y, Song HK, Wright AC, Mohler, EM, III, Fairman RM, Zager EL, Velazquez OC, Golden MA, Carpenter JP, Wehrli FW: Structural MRI of carotid artery atherosclerotic lesion burden and characterization of hemispheric cerebral blood flow before and after carotid endarterectomy NMR Biomed 19 (2): 198-208,2006.

Wang S, Wolf RL, Woo JH, Wang J, O’Rourke DM, Roy S, Melhem ER, Poptani H: Actinomycotic Brain Infection: Registered Diffusion, Perfusion MR Imaging and MR Spectroscopy Neuroradiology 48 (5): 346-350,2006.

Wolf RL, Wang J, Wang S, Melhem ER, O’Rourke DM, Judy KD, Detre JA.: Grading of CNS Neoplasms Using Continuous Arterial Spin Labeled Perfusion MR Imaging at 3 Tesla J Magn Reson Imaging 22 (4): 475-482,2005.

Wolf RL, Wehrli SL, Popescu AM, Woo JH, Song HK, Wright AC, Mohler EM, III, Harding JD, Zager EL, Fairman RM, Golden MA, Velazquez OC, Carpenter JP, Wehrli FW.: Mineral volume and morphology in carotid plaque specimens using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 25 (8): 1729-1735,2005.

Wang J, Zhang Y, Wolf RL, Roc AC, Alsop DC, Detre JA.: Amplitude-modulated continuous arterial spin-labeling 3.0-T perfusion MR imaging with a single coil: feasibility study Radiology 235 (1): 218-228,2005.

Kasner SE, Sheth KN, Wu GF, Messe SR, Wolf RL: Sirolimus may not cause neurotoxicity in kidney and liver transplant recipients Neurology 65 (2): 337-338,2005.

Wolf RL: Vascular injuries of the neck and thoracic inlet: helical CT-angiographic correlation Radiographics 24 (4): 1087-1098; discussion 1099-1100,2004.

Sheth KN, Wu G, Messe SR, Wolf RL, Kasner SE: Dialysis disequilibrium: another reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome? Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 105 (4): 249-252,2003.

Academic Contact Information

Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
Department of Radiology
1 Silverstein
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-349-5184
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366