Method of magnetic resonance analysis employing cylindrical coordinates and an associated apparatus

Abstract

A method of magnetic resonance imaging employs cylindrical coordinates and in one embodiment has an elongated catheter which is operatively associated with an RF pulse transmitting antenna and an RF pulse transmitting body coil. A main magnetic field is imposed on the region of interest. Circumferential phase encoding is accomplished by applying an initial RF pulse from either the catheter antenna or the body coil and subsequently applying an initial series of RF pulses with the source alternating between the antenna and the body coil. Radial phase encoding is effected by applying a first RF pulse which in a second embodiment is followed by a second RF pulse. A longitudinal gradient magnetic pulse is applied in the region of interest to spatially encode magnetic resonance signals. The cylindrical coordinate imaging is obtained by combining the circumferential phase encoding information the longitudinal magnetic encoding information with or without the radial phase encoding information. Other embodiments not employing catheter antennas employ two antennas with non-uniform phase profiles with the pulse sequences employed with the antennas. Corresponding apparatus is provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.