Patent ID: 8975893
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for optimization of flow coding in magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography, comprising: via a control unit, operating a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit to acquire magnetic resonance data from at least a portion of a patient in the data acquisition unit by continuously implementing a plurality of overview measurements in succession, and in each overview measurement, acquiring magnetic resonance data with a pulse sequence that comprises a bipolar dephasing gradient pair, and an additional bipolar dephasing gradient pair that determines flow coding, said flow coding having a strength that is dependent on a flow velocity of vessels within the patient to be depicted in magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography; via an interface of said control unit, allowing an operator to select said strength of said flow coding and, after the strength of the flow coding is selected, automatically setting the additional bipolar dephasing gradient pair in a mixed overview measurement of the continuously implemented overview measurements, to produce the selected strength of said flow coding, and implementing two partial measurements with different flow codings for each selected strength of said flow coding, with a difference between the different flow codings corresponding to the selected strength of the flow coding; in a processor, for each selected strength of said flow coding, calculating a phase difference image from the two partial measurements; at a display unit associated with the control unit, depicting the phase difference image in real time and, when a desired strength of the flow coding has been selected, automatically adopting the strength of the flow coding that has been identified for magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography; and via the control unit, operating the magnetic resonance data acquisition unit to implement magnetic resonance phase angiography of the patient with the adopted strength of the flow coding.