Patent ID: 8688193

Claim:
A method for forming images of a patient, the method comprising: detecting an ECG r wave of a cardiac cycle of the patient; applying a plurality of distinct signal patterns with imaging gradients to the patient immediately following detection of the ECG r wave, wherein applying the plurality of distinct signal patterns comprises: splitting each line of k-space data obtained from the detected ECG r wave into a plurality of segments, applying a first striped tag pattern along a first axis at a first segment of the plurality of segments, and applying a second striped tag pattern along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis at a second segment of the plurality of segments, wherein the first and second segments are selected such that no interference occurs between the plurality of distinct signal patterns that would degrade the patterns; triggering a steady-state free precision imaging sequence to the ECG r wave; and performing the steady-state free precision imaging sequence with imaging coils of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner such that data for a series of k-space data sets associated with the imaging sequence are acquired in a manner that is time resolved through the cardiac cycle, with data acquired over a number of consecutive cardiac cycles.