Patent ID: 6288541
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A method for measuring compliance of a blood vessel in a subject, comprising the steps of:a) positioning the subject in a polarizing magnetic field;b) generating an RF excitation pulse in the presence of a slice select gradient pulse to produce transverse magnetization in two slices which are spaced apart and which intersect the blood vessel at a non-orthogonal angle;c) producing a readout gradient pulse and acquiring an NMR signal produced by the transverse magnetization in both slices;d) repeating steps b) and c) over an interval .DELTA.T during which a wave motion propagates along the blood vessel and through said two slices;e) transforming the NMR signals to produce a corresponding number of one-dimensional spatial data sets;f) analyzing the one-dimensional spatial data sets to detect the arrival of motion at each slice;g) calculating velocity of the wave motion along the blood vessel as the wave motion propagates through said slices; andh) calculating the compliance of the blood vessel from the calculated wave motion velocity.