Abstract #2364

van der Kouwe A, Benner T

The ECG signal is normally obtained in the MR scanner using a pulse oximeter probe or ECG electrodes. We demonstrate that a reliable signal that correlates with blood flow in the neck can be obtained using an embedded blood flow navigator (BFN) inserted in the imaging sequence. We demonstrate the use of the BFN in a 3D FLASH scan of a human head. The BFN yields a blood flow measurement every 150 ms and does not require any external apparatus. This signal may be used for cardiac gating, on-line correction and post-processing of the image.