Automatic selection of mask and arterial phase images for temporally resolved MR digital subtraction angiography.

For time-resolved background-subtracted contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography, the bright and sparse arterial signal allows unique identification of contrast bolus arrival in the arteries. This article presents an automatic filtering algorithm using such arterial characterization for selecting arterial phase images and mask images to generate an optimal summary arteriogram. A paired double-blinded comparison demonstrated that this automatic algorithm is as effective as the manual process.