Flow-independent magnetic resonance projection angiography

The performance of current, flow-based sequences for imaging vasculature using MR is severely restricted in regions with inherently slow flow. We address this problem with a flow-independent imaging method. Specifically, we generate projection images of blood in the limbs while suppressing signal from all other tissues (primarily skeletal muscle, bone marrow, and subcutaneous fat) using a flow-compensated, water-selective, short TI inversion recovery sequence with a long echo time. We experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of this sequence and present in vivo results clearly demonstrating the method's potential.