Fingers: three-dimensional MR imaging and angiography with a local gradient coil.

The authors interfaced a 12-cm-diameter local gradient coil with a solenoid radio-frequency coil (2.2-cm internal diameter, 1.4-cm long) to a recalibrated clinical magnetic resonance imaging system. Three-dimensional gradient-echo imaging and phase-contrast angiography were performed on the fingers of five healthy volunteers (four men and one woman, aged 23-33 years). Data sets (256 x 256 x 28) were acquired with spatial resolution of 100 x 100 x 500 microns in 6 minutes 51 seconds. The angiograms clearly delineated blood vessels that were less than 1 mm in diameter.