Marco Piccirelli1, Grard R. Crelier2, Roger Luechinger1, Sebastian Kozerke1, Peter Boesiger1
1Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 2Gyrotools GmbH, Zurich, Switzerland
Hemodynamic data improve the understanding of vascular abnormalities. Intracranial arteries diseases are interlinked with abnormal flow patterns. However, the relative small size of these arteries requires acquisition of velocity information with high spatial resolution. We tested 3D quantitative flow MRI protocols for spatial resolution from 0.5-0.15mm3. Velocity profiles were compared for several cerebral arteries for all phases of the cardiac cycle. Our results indicate that time-resolved 3D quantitative flow measurements of the intracranial arteries is feasible with a spatial resolution down to 0.3mm3. Further, very small arteries such as the posterior communicating arteries were clearly visible.