Abstract A method of nuclear magnetic resonance angiographic imaging capable of reducing an imaging operation time. The method includes the steps of: applying a plurality of pre-saturation excitation pulses sequentially to a pre-saturation section located over the flowing stream within an imaging region of the patient formed along the flowing stream, so as to pre-saturate the flowing stream located at the pre-saturation section at a time of application of each of the pre-saturation excitation pulses; dispersing and deleting transverse components of spins due to the pre-saturation excitation pulses applied at the applying step; exciting the imaging region by applying a single imaging excitation pulse and by using appropriate gradient magnetic fields, such that nuclear magnetic resonance signals are produced from the imaging region; and collecting the nuclear magnetic resonance signals from the imaging region by using appropriate gradient magnetic fields, and obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance image showing a plurality of pre-saturated patterns corresponding to a plurality of the pre-saturation excitation pulses by processing the nuclear magnetic resonance signals.
A method of nuclear magnetic resonance angiographic imaging for taking a nuclear magnetic resonance image of a flowing stream in a patient placed inside a static magnetic field, comprising the sequential steps of: applying a plurality of pre-saturation excitation pulses sequentially to a pre-saturation section located over the flowing stream within an image region of the patient formed along the flowing stream; pre-saturating a plurality of different portions of the flowing stream located at the pre-saturation section with each portion of said flowing stream pre-saturated in response to each pre-saturation excitation pulse; dispersing and deleting transverse components of spins of each different portions of the flowing stream due to the pre-saturation excitation pulses applied at the applying step; exciting the image region by applying a single imaging excitation pulse and gradient magnetic fields, such that nuclear magnetic resonance signals are produced from the imaging region; and collecting and processing the nuclear magnetic resonance signals from the imaging region by using gradient magnetic fields, and obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance image showing a plurality of pre-saturated patterns each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of different portions of flowing stream.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
191 words
A method of nuclear magnetic resonance angiographic imaging for taking a nuclear magnetic resonance image of a flowing stream in a patient placed inside a static magnetic field, comprising the sequential steps of: applying a plurality of pre-saturation excitation pulses sequentially to a pre-saturation section located over the flowing stream within an image region of the patient formed along the flowing stream; pre-saturating a plurality of different portions of the flowing stream located at the pre-saturation section with each portion of said flowing stream pre-saturated in response to each pre-saturation excitation pulse; dispersing and deleting transverse components of spins of each different portions of the flowing stream due to the pre-saturation excitation pulses applied at the applying step; exciting the image region by applying a single imaging excitation pulse and gradient magnetic fields, such that nuclear magnetic resonance signals are produced from the imaging region; and collecting and processing the nuclear magnetic resonance signals from the imaging region by using gradient magnetic fields, and obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance image showing a plurality of pre-saturated patterns each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of different portions of flowing stream.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein at the applying step the plurality of pre-saturation excitation pulses are applied sequentially at a predetermined interval.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1, wherein at the dispersing step the transverse components of spins are dispersed by using a gradient magnetic field having a field strength greater than that used in the exciting step and the collecting step.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1, wherein at the exciting step and the collecting step the appropriate gradient magnetic fields are given in a form of a gradient field echo sequence.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1, wherein at the exciting step and the collecting step the appropriate gradient magnetic fields are given in a form of a spin echo sequence.