Fast method for computation of the static pressure field in stenotic geometries by PC MRI

In this paper a very fast algorithm for non-invasive intra-vascular pressure measurement using Phase-Contrast MRI data is introduced. A noise robust finite difference numerical method has been developed to quickly calculate the relative static pressure in steady flow by using the Navier-Stokes equation in axisymmetric geometries. We show that in such geometries, pressure calculation may be performed in less than two minutes and by using a single PC MR slice containing the axis of symmetry, in turn resulting in dramatic reductions in the acquisition time. The method has been validated under a variety of additive noise conditions with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow simulations within phantom geometries. Effects of noise, resolution, and velocity (flow) are discussed.