Rapid 7-dimensional imaging of pulsatile flow

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Abstract
A method is described for acquiring 7-dimensional information about flowing blood. The acquisition of the 7-dimensions, consisting of 3 spatial, 3 velocity and 1 time, enables a more complete study of blood flow patterns than had previously been possible. In order to reduce the scan time to acceptable levels, the method uses a 2-D selective r.f. pulse to excite a column of tissue and a limited number of phase encoding steps to spatially resolve across the short axes of the column. Phase velocity mapping is used to quantify velocities in 3 perpendicular directions. Recent hardware developments should enable rapid processing of the large data sets acquired.