[The detailed imaging of vessels in MR angiography via projections from irregularly restricted data sets]

A new method for postprocessing of three dimensional magnetic resonance angiography data sets is described. Two operations are performed with the data set prior to maximum intensity projection. First, an irregular part of interest is marked interactively within the data set. By restricting the projection algorithm to this region, a disturbing overlay by vessels of other regions is avoided. Secondly, a three dimensional interpolation of the original data set is performed. While the spatial resolution of vessel representation is unchanged, the quality of the maximum intensity projection is improved significantly. The diagnostic value of this method is demonstrated by visualisation of a carotid aneurysm and of the deep and superficial cerebral veins.