Patent ID: 7078897

Claim:
A method of acquiring MR images of a subject, wherein each voxel of interest in the subject being imaged contains a plurality of anisotropic structural units that are too small to be resolved by direct imaging of the voxels using an MRI system, said method comprising the steps of: a. generating MR pulse sequences via the MRI system that generate MR data corresponding to the subject's plurality of anisotropic structural units, wherein the sequences include MR imaging or spectroscopy pulse sequences with a series of embedded diffusion-sensitizing gradient waveforms of varying gradient strength that are each characterized by a respective b-value within the individual sequences; b. acquiring the MR data for each b-value; c. defining a nonlinear function of the b-value; d. defining imaging units; e. fitting the acquired MR data for each of the imaging units containing a plurality of anisotropic structural units to the nonlinear function and thereby determining elements of an apparent diffusion coefficient with respect to each of said plurality of anisotropic structural units in at least one selected direction in the local coordinate system associated with a given one of said anisotropic structural units; and f. creating MR images based on the elements of the apparent diffusion coefficient in the at least one selected direction in the local coordinate system associated with a given one of said anisotropic structural units contained within the subject being imaged.