Dual resolution acquisition of magnetic resonance angiography data with vessel segmentation

A method for producing a magnetic resonance angiogram of a patient using an MRI system, the steps comprising:

• a) injecting the patient with a contrast agent which flows into a region of interest in the patient;
• b) acquiring NMR image data for a series of low resolution NMR time course data sets during a time resolved phase of an examination, during which the contrast agent makes a first passage through the patient's arteries in the region of interest;
• c) acquiring high resolution NMR data during a steady state phase of the examination which follows the time resolved phase;
• d) segmenting a low resolution NMR time course data set to depict selected vessels;
• e) producing from said segmented low resolution NMR time course data set a central region of k-space data set;
• f) producing from the high resolution NMR data a peripheral region k-space data set;
• g) combining the central region k-space data set and the peripheral region k-space data set;
• and
• h) reconstructing an image from the combined k-space data set.