Quantitative Flow Relaxographic Angiography

Abstract

A powerful method, termed flow relaxography, allowing the practical and accurate determination of the water proton MR signal relaxation time distributions has been recently introduced with a phantom, having both flowing and nonflowing water. It was demonstrated that this method can discriminate the signals from the flowing and non-flowing spins, since flow affects the apparent T 1 ( T ) value. In this report, it is demonstrated that this technique is effective also in the human leg in vivo. Flow relaxographic angiography is presented for the first time. This technique promises to accomplish the twin goals of flow studies in medical MRI, to display vascular anatomy and measure its blood flow rate, in the same image.