Patent ID: 7336072
Filing Date: 2008-02-26
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for representing flow within an examination subject in a magnetic resonance image of the examination subject, comprising the steps of: acquiring a first magnetic resonance image of an examination subject having a fluid flow therein, without compensating said flow in a first spatial direction; acquiring a second magnetic resonance image of the examination subject, with compensation of said flow in said first spatial direction, each of said first and second magnetic resonance images embodying data representing a magnetization having a phase; automatically electronically calculating the phase of the magnetization in each of the first and second magnetic resonance images to produce a first phase image and a second phase image, and automatically calculating the phase difference between the first phase image and the second phase image as a measure of said flow in said first spatial direction; acquiring a third magnetic resonance image of the examination subject without compensation of said flow in a second spatial direction perpendicular to said first spatial direction; acquiring a fourth magnetic resonance image of the examination subject with compensation of said flow in said second spatial direction, each of said third and fourth magnetic resonance images containing data representing a magnetization having a phase; automatically electronically calculating the phase of the magnetization in each of the third and fourth magnetic resonance images to obtain a third phase image and a fourth phase image, as well as calculated the phase difference between said third phase image and said fourth phase image as a measure of said flow in said second spatial direction; and automatically electronically calculating a resulting flow velocity vector by vectorial addition of said flow in said first spatial direction and said flow in said second spatial direction, and visually representing said resulting flow velocity vector.