Patent ID: 8378680

Claim:
A system for concurrent acquisition of an MR anatomical image of an anatomical region of interest and an MR angiogram image of a vessel structure in the region of interest without the use of a contrast agent, comprising: an MR imaging system for, in a first repetition time interval, generating a non-selective magnetization preparation pulse for magnetizing an anatomical volume encompassing blood flowing into a selected slab within the volume for blood signal suppression, generating RF excitation pulses and acquiring a first MR imaging dataset of said selected slab within the volume with a suppressed blood signal and in a second repetition time interval succeeding said first repetition time interval, generating a selected slab magnetization preparation pulse for magnetizing said selected slab, generating RF excitation pulses and acquiring a second MR imaging dataset of said selected slab within the volume; and an image data processor for substantially subtracting imaging data of said first MR imaging data set from said second MR imaging dataset to provide an image enhancing a vessel structure in said selected slab.