Methods for NMR angiography

Patent 4714081 Issued on December 22, 1987. Estimated Expiration Date:

March 3, 2006. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

NMR Imaging of the transverse relaxation time using multiple spin echo sequences
Patent #: 4521733
Issued on: 06/04/1985
Inventor: Bottomley , et al.

Blood vessel imaging system using nuclear magnetic resonance
Patent #: 4528985
Issued on: 07/16/1985
Inventor: Macovski

NMR method for measuring and imaging fluid flow
Patent #: 4532473
Issued on: 07/30/1985
Inventor: Wehrli

Method for rapid acquisition of NMR data
Patent #: 4587489
Issued on: 05/06/1986
Inventor: Wehrli

Nuclear magnetic resonance flow imaging
Patent #: 4595879
Issued on: 06/17/1986
Inventor: Lent , et al.

Method and apparatus for NMR detection and imaging of flowing fluid nuclei
Patent #: 4602641
Issued on: 07/29/1986
Inventor: Feinberg

NMR multiple-echo phase-contrast blood flow imaging Patent #: 4609872
Issued on: 09/02/1986
Inventor: O'Donnell

Inventors

Application

No. 06/835683 filed on 03/03/1986

US Classes:

600/419, Of fluid flow324/306, Determine fluid flow rate324/309To obtain localized resonance within a sample

Examiners

Primary: Kamm, William E.
Assistant: Smith, Ruth S.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

International Classes

G01R 33/54 (20060101)
G01R 33/563 (20060101)

Abstract

Magnetic field gradient and radio-frequency (RF) pulse signal sequences permitting moving nuclear spins to be selectively detected and then displayed as projected angiographic data in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) image, without the use of contrast agents. The method allows the intensity of an image pixel to be determined by the macroscopic detected spin velocity and can provide essentially complete suppression of non-moving spins. Resulting images have high signal-intensity dynamic range for detected vessels. The selected detection of moving flows is not dependent upon pulsatile flow so that venous and arterial structures are equally as well visualized in high-resolution NMR angiographic images.