Fast computation of static flow pressure maps from phase-contrast MRI in axi-symmetric coordinates

In this paper a fast algorithm for non-invasive measurement of intra-vascular pressure from Phase-Contrast MRI (PC MRI) data is introduced. A noise robust finite difference numerical method has been developed to calculate the static pressure for steady flow in an incompressible, Newtonian fluid, based on the Navier-Stokes equations. This approach was validated on an analytical velocity field, under a variety of additive noise conditions. In vitro results from an aneurysm as well as a stenosis phantom are also reported and for the aneurysm phantom are compared with calculated results from computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It is shown that the viscosity, which is ignored by Bernoulli equation, may be an important factor in measurement of intra-vascular pressure.