Abstract: | A programme was written to detect flow in a sequence of MR images and to construct 3-D vessel maps from the detected flow regions. Reduction in first echo intensity and prolongation of calculated T2 value were used as flow-detection criteria. The programme was used to image the aorta in 6 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 5 patients with aortic dissection. Results were compared with contrast angiography in 9 cases and X-ray CT in 2. The images obtained by the two techniques were comparable in 9 cases. In 2 cases of aortic dissection, where flow in the false lumen was slow, the false lumen could not be demonstrated by angiography, but was clearly seen in the reconstructed MR images. |