Blood flow measurement by NMR.

The current status of blood flow measurement using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques is reviewed. This includes both the continuous-wave method developed at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Veterans Administration Medical Center and various pulsed methods, particularly those used in NMR Imagers. This is preceded by a brief review of the background of NMR blood flow measurement beginning in 1956 at the Laboratory of Technical Development of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The importance of blood flow measurement and a quantitative analysis of the human vascular system are also presented.