Patent ID: 9366740
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: G01R

Claim Text:
1. A method for producing an image of a subject with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the steps of the method comprising: a) selecting a sampling pattern for sampling k-space, the sampling pattern including a plurality of radial projections in k-space; b) selecting a view order that defines an order in which radial projections in the selected sampling pattern are to be acquired, the view order being selected such that any group of consecutively acquired radial projections will sample k-space in a substantially uniform distribution; c) directing the MRI system to apply an inversion recovery (IR) radio frequency (RF) pulse to the subject such that net longitudinal magnetization in the subject is substantially inverted and begins to relax back to equilibrium; d) directing the MRI system to acquire k-space data while the net longitudinal magnetization is recovering back to equilibrium by sampling k-space in accordance with the selected sampling pattern and the selected view order; e) forming a data segment by grouping together consecutively acquired radial projections in the acquired k-space data starting with an initial radial projection acquired at an initial time point; f) reconstructing an image of the subject from the data segment formed in step e), the reconstructed image depicting an image contrast defined by a recovery state of the net longitudinal magnetization at which the radial projections in the data segment were acquired.