title: Numerical simulation of magnetic resonance angiographies of an anatomically realistic stenotic carotid bifurcation.
abstract: Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) has become a routine imaging modality for the clinical evaluation of obstructive vascular disease. However, complex circulatory flow patterns, which redistribute the Magnetic Resonance (MR) signal in a complicated way, may generate flow artifacts and impair image quality. Numerical simulation of MRAs is a useful tool to study the mechanisms of artifactual signal production. The present study proposes a new approach to perform such simulations, applicable to complex anatomically realistic vascular geometries. Both the Navier-Stokes and the Bloch equations are solved on the same mesh to obtain the distribution of modulus and phase of the magnetization. The simulated angiography is subsequently constructed by a simple geometric procedure mapping the physical plane into the MRA image plane. Steady bidimensional numerical simulations of MRAs of an anatomically realistic severely stenotic carotid artery bifurcation are presented, for both time-of-flight and contrast-enhanced imaging modalities. These simulations are validated by qualitative comparison with flow phantom experiments performed under comparable conditions.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse, Groupe d'Etude sur les Milieux Poreux, Allés du Professeur Camille Soula, 31400 Toulouse Cedex, France. lorthois@imft.fr
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorthois
authors.forename: Jenn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stroud-Rossman
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Liang-Der
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saloner
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging