Abstract #1932

Tsukamoto T, Miyoshi M

Steady State Free Precession yields high blood signal image in short scanning time and it enables Non-Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography in abdomen. However, SSFP produces bright signal not only in artery but also in vein or stationary fluids. We propose new Flow Preparation (Flow Prep) pulse to distinguish artery from vein and stationary fluids. This technique was developed based on bipolar velocity encoding used in Phase Contrast Angiography. Phantom examination showed that signal intensity of the Flow Prep matched with theoretical values. The Flow Prep enhanced the contrast of artery in volunteer scans.