Submitted by: Sergio Martin

Category: Anatomy & Physiology

Contributors: Thejas Vishnu Ramesh

Creation: This render was created from 4D Flow MRI data acquired at the Purdue 3T GE Discovery MR750 scanner. To obtain blood flow of the carotid bifurcation, a custom-made wearable coil was used. 4D flow MRI enables three-directional measurement of blood flow velocities over the cardiac cycle. Streamlines were generated from the MRI velocity field with the software Paraview, and overlaid over the structural image, acquired with time-of-flight MRI.

Caption: The image shows the flow of blood at the right carotid artery bifurcation. This section of the carotid splits from the common carotid artery into the internal and external carotid arteries, supplying blood to the brain, face, and head. 4D flow MRI can measure blood circulation in vivo, and it can be especially useful to assess vascular health and diseases. Custom-made coils for the neck result in a higher signal, improving the acquisitions of flow and resulting in more accurate velocity fields.