Patent ID: 8941381
Filing Date: 2015-01-27
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method in which frequency and temporal multiplexing are intermingled in a single, super-multiplexed EPI sequence in order to give multiplicative increases in EPI imaging speed while maintaining image quality, comprising: applying, to a subject in an MRI scanner, a set of S radiofrequency (RF) excitation pulses in a time sequence, each of the S pulses in the set of RF excitation pulses being a multi-band pulse of M different frequency bands that simultaneously excites M respective slices in corresponding volumes of the subject, thereby causing the subject to emit, in a time sequence, S MRI signals for each of the M slices, producing data for S×M slices, where S≧2 and M≧2 and each of the pulses in the set of RF excitation pulses has a base frequency offset from that of each other pulse in the set of RF excitation pulses in order to offset in space the slices excited by one of the RF excitation pulses from the slices excited by other RF excitation pulses; simultaneously refocusing the MRI signals to thereby generate a train of N sets of S MRI signals each, where N≧2; wherein each of S, M, and N is a positive integer; acquiring the MRI signals with at least a RF receiver system having spatial sensitivity characteristics; computer-processing the MRI signals acquired with said RF receiver system in order to produce magnetic resonance image data for each of the S×M slices of the subject; and further computer-processing at least some of said magnetic resonance image data in order to produce magnetic resonance images of at least some of said S×M slices of the subject.