Improvement of phase-contrast flow measurements: Opposite directional flow-encoding technique to eliminate the influence of the Maxwell term phase errors

Abstract

A new method termed the opposite directional flow-encoding (ODFE) technique is proposed to increase the accuracy and the reproducibility of phase-contrast flow measurements by correcting the non-linear background of velocity images induced by concomitant magnetic fields (Maxwell terms). In this technique, the volume flow rate is calculated from the difference of two region of interest (ROI) values derived from two velocity images obtained by reversing the flow-encoding direction. To evaluate the technique, various phantom experiments were carried out and volume blood flow rates of internal carotid arteries (ICAs) were measured in four volunteers. The technique could measure the volume flow rates of the phantom with higher accuracy (mean absolute percentage error = 1.04%) and reproducibility (coefficient of variation = 1.18%) than conventional methods. Flow measurements with the technique was not significantly affected by ROI size variation, measuring position, and flow obliquity not exceeding 30°. The volume flow rates in the ICAs of a volunteer were measured with high reproducibility (coefficient of variation = 2.89% on the right, 1.48% on the left), and the flow measurement was not significantly affected by ROI size variation. The ODFE technique can minimize the effect of the non-linear background due to Maxwell terms. The technique allows use of ROIs of approximate size including the flow signal and provides accurate and objective phase-contrast flow measurements.