ExploreASL is a pipeline and toolbox for image processing and statistics of arterial spin labeling perfusion MR images. It is designed as a multi-OS, open-source, collaborative framework that facilitates cross-pollination between image processing method developers and clinical investigators.

The software provides a complete head-to-tail approach that runs fully automatically, encompassing all necessary tasks from data import and structural segmentation, registration, and normalization, up to CBF quantification. In addition, the software package includes and quality control (QC) procedures and region-of-interest (ROI) as well as voxel-wise analysis of the extracted data. To-date, ExploreASL has been used for processing ~10000 ASL datasets from all major MRI vendors and ASL sequences, and a variety of patient populations, representing ~30 studies. The ultimate goal of ExploreASL is to combine data from multiple studies to identify disease-related perfusion patterns that may prove crucial in using ASL as a diagnostic tool and enhance our understanding of the interplay of perfusion and structural changes in neurodegenerative pathophysiology.

Additionally, this (semi-)automatic pipeline allows us to minimize manual intervention, which increases the reproducibility of studies.