| The use of contrast agents has lead to great advances in magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Here we present the first application of projection reconstruction to contrast enhanced MRA. In this research the limited angle projection reconstruction (PR) trajectory is implemented to acquire higher resolution images per unit time than with conventional Fourier transform (FT) imaging. It is well known that as FOV is reduced in conventional spin-warp imaging, higher resolution per unit time can be obtained, but aliasing may appear as a replication of outside material within the FOV. The limited angle PR acquisition also produces aliasing artifacts. This method produced artifacts which were unacceptable in X-ray CT but which appear to be tolerable in MR Angiography. Resolution throughout the FOV is determined by the projection readout resolution and not by the number of projections. As the number of projections is reduced, the resolution is unchanged, but low intensity artifacts appear. Here are presented the results of using limited angle PR in phantoms and contrast-enhanced angiograms of humans. |
