MAGNETIC-RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY

Magnetic resonance (MR) angiography is a broad and expanding field. Th e technology of MR angiograms is evolving to produce higher spatial re solution, faster acquisition times, and reduced artifact. Rather than a straight, linear evolution, this progress is going forward in a numb er of areas inherent to the MR imaging process. Considerable progress has been demonstrated in such diverse areas as flow-sensitized radiofr equency pulses, reduced background signal with off-resonance pulses, i mproved vessel depiction with reduced echo times via improved hardware and reconstruction techniques, and improved display with more powerfu l computer algorithms. This review is a brief survey and comparison of available techniques for the visualization of blood vessels within th e human body.