Patent ID: 6556856
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method for producing a magnetic resonance angiogram of a patient using an MRI system, the steps comprising:a) injecting the patient with a contrast agent which flows into a region of interest in the patient; b) acquiring NMR image data for a series of low resolution NMR time course data sets during a time resolved phase of an examination, during which the contrast agent makes a first passage through the patient's arteries in the region of interest; c) acquiring high resolution NMR data during a steady state phase of the examination which follows the time resolved phase; d) segmenting a low resolution NMR time course data set to depict selected vessels; e) producing from said segmented low resolution NMR time course data set a central region of k-space data set; f) producing from the high resolution NMR data a peripheral region k-space data set; g) combining the central region k-space data set and the peripheral region k-space data set; and h) reconstructing an image from the combined k-space data set.