Physical principles and application of magnetic resonance angiography.

This paper reviews the physical principles of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) acquisition methods, explains image presentation strategies for MRA, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various MRA methods. These methods include the time-of-flight, phase contrast, and black blood techniques. The essential goal of each of these flow imaging methods is to maximize signal differences between flowing and stationary tissues in order to provide morphological and physiological information.