In a method and magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus for creating a maximum intensity projection of a volume of an examination subject, MR data are acquired for a number of slices of the volume, and an MR image is reconstructed for each of the slices that MR data have acquired in order to create a maximum intensity projection for each of the slices. The maximum intensity projection of the respective slice is shown on a display. The slices, which have a thickness of at least 15 mm, have various slice directions, in order to display the maximum intensity projections from various directions.

A method for generating magnetic resonance images of a subject includes performing, using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, an interrupted three-dimensional (3D) single shot unbalanced steady-state free precession (uSSFP) pulse sequence to acquire MR data for each of a plurality of partitions associated with a region of interest of a subject. The interrupted 3D single shot uSSFP pulse sequence may be configured to suppress blood signal in the region of interest. The MR data for each partition is acquired as a single shot along an in-plane phase-encoding direction and the acquisition of MR data for each partition is synchronized to a phase of a cardiac cycle. The method further includes generating, using a processor, an image with blood suppression based on the acquired MR data.

A method for phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) acquires undersampled PC-MRI data using a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and reconstructs MRI images from the undersampled PC-MRI data by reconstructing a first flow-encoded image using a first convolutional neural network, reconstructing a complex difference image using a second convolutional neural network, combining the complex difference image and the first flow-encoded image to obtain a second flow-encoded image, and generating a velocity encoded image from the first flow-encoded image and second flow-encoded image using phase difference processing.

A method for correcting TOF MR data, including providing a coil sensitivity map for an examination region of an examination object, providing the TOF MR data of the examination region, and generating corrected TOF MR image data comprising multiplying the TOF MR data by an inverse of the coil sensitivity map.

A method for producing an image representative of the vasculature of a subject using a MRI system includes the acquisition of a signal indicative of a subject' cardiac phase. During each heartbeat of the subject, image slices of a volume covering a region of interest (ROI) within the subject are acquired by applying a volume-selective venous suppression pulse to suppress (a) venous signal for an upper slice in the ROI; (b) venous signal for slices that are upstream for venous flow in the ROI; and (c) background signal from the upstream slices. Next, a slice-selective background suppression pulse is applied to suppress background signal of the upper slice. Following a quiescent time interval, a spectrally selective fat suppression pulse is applied to the entire volume to attenuate signal from background fat signal. Then, a simultaneous multi-slice acquisition of the upper slice and the upstream slices is performed.

Embodiments include a system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart, and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic of the patient's heart and determine a fractional flow reserve within the patient's heart based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

The invention presents an apparatus (6) for characterization of a condition of a vessel (12) wall of a living being (2). The relationship between temporal blood pressure (621) and blood flow (622) measurements of pulsatile blood motion within the vessel (12) is an indication of the health of the vessel (12) wall. Furthermore, the invention discloses a system (1) comprising the apparatus (6), and a method (100) of characterizing the condition of vessel (12) walls.

An apparatus for providing brain lesion information based on an image includes a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) provider configured to provide an environment capable of displaying 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (3D TOF MRA) using user input, a brain lesion input unit configured to generate and manage a brain lesion image, a maximum intensity projection (MIP) converter configured to configure MIP image data including at least one image frame corresponding to a projection position of the brain lesion image, a noise remover configured to remove noise of brain lesion information and to configure corrected MIP image data, from which the noise is removed, and an MRA reconfiguration unit configured to reconfigure a corrected brain lesion image by back-projecting the corrected MIP image data.

A Time-of-flight (TOF) MRI scanning method may include: a TOF MRI scan including a first slice selection gradient applied in the Z direction at the same time as an RF pulse being applied to an imaging target; after applying the RF pulse and first slice selection gradient has ended, applying a slice selection encoding gradient and a phase encoding gradient in the Z direction and Y direction respectively; when application of the slice selection encoding gradient and phase encoding gradient ends, applying a readout gradient in the X direction; when application of the readout gradient ends, applying a tracking saturation pulse to the imaging target, and simultaneously applying a second slice selection gradient in the Z direction; when application of the tracking saturation pulse ends, applying a spoiler gradient in the X, Y and/or Z directions of the magnetic field. The method advantageously reduces the TOF MRI scanning time.

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence control circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence control circuitry performs multi-frame acquisition where FOVs (Field Of Views) of at least two acquired frames are overlapped in a first direction. Then, based on the multi-frame acquisition performed by the sequence control unit, the processing unit generates data regarding the components in the first direction of flow of a fluid.