A comparatively light and compact permanent magnet arrangement for an MRI
apparatus has a pair of opposed permanent magnet arrays with a shimming
system to adjust the uniformity and strength of a magnetic field in a
central chamber of the apparatus. The MRI apparatus is used to examine
the extremities of a patient to determine cardiovascular characteristics
from an analysis of the blood flow through selected arteries in the
extremity. The information collected can be used to calculate such
characteristics as total cardiac output, blood flow, arterial wall
thickness and elasticity and the presence of plaque.
