Patent ID: 7647086
Filing Date: 2010-01-12
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus for providing MRA image data without use of contrast agent, said apparatus comprising: an RF coil unit which transmits RE pulses toward a subject, and which receives an MR signal from the subject in the absence of contrast agent in said subject; gradient magnetic field coils which generate gradients in a superposed background magnetic field B an arithmetic unit which generates MRA image data based on the MR signal including a subtraction image related to a systolic phase and a diastolic phase on the basis of the MR signals acquired during the systolic phase and the diastolic phase; a sequence controller which (a) executes a first MRI scanning process during a systolic phase of a subject's heart cycle and a second MRI scanning process during a diastolic phase of the subject's heart cycle, and (b) controls the phase encoding gradient magnetic field coils to generate magnetic gradient flow pulses for dephasing or rephasing MR spin of a blood flow within said subject in the same spatial direction as the phase encoding gradient magnetic field during at least one of the first and second scanning processes; and a subtraction processing unit which subtracts from each other (a) a systolic phase image based on said first scanning process and (b) a diastolic phase image based on said second scanning process.