Tokunori Kimura1, Masato Ikedo2
1MRI Systems Development Department,
Toshiba Medical Systems , Otawara, Tochigi, Japan; 2MRI Systems
Development Department, Toshiba Medical Systems, Otawara, Tochigi, Japan
We
have proposed a MRA technique named Hybrid-of-Opposite-Contrast (HOP) MR
Angiography combining time-of-flight (TOF) and flow-sensitive black-blood
(FSBB) using dual-echo 3D gradient echo sequence, which was magnitude-based
technique. For the purpose of further enhancing blood-to-background contrast,
we proposed and assessed a new image processing technique employing
corresponding phase maps for 1st echo (TOF) and 2nd echo (FSBB) so as to
further enhance blood vessels white and black, respectively. Volunteer brain
study was performed. Smaller vessels were further delineated by this technique
than the standard magnitude-based HOP images.