Patent ID: 8219176

Claim:
An imaging apparatus for an object in change comprising: an MRI system having a computer, wherein a first channel of the MRI system is configured to produce images of the object in change using alternate lines of k-space applied along each of two phase encoding directions for a plurality of time points, wherein the computer is configured to combine the images into a composite 3D image of the object, wherein the MRI system is configured to acquire alternate lines of temporally resolved data along each of the two phase encoding directions, such that at any one time point at least 25% of k-space data required to satisfy Nyquist sampling criteria for the object in change is acquired, and wherein the MRI system is further configured to not translate the object as the first channel produces images of the object, wherein the first channel includes a coil element and a signal receiver which retains image data corresponding to a region adjacent to the coil element, the region including at least 25% of the data, wherein the computer is configured to form a ratio map for the coil element using a fully resolved image using the following formula: R=PP/(RP2+RP3+RP4), where R is a ratio map value, PP is a pixel in a closest quadrant to the coil element of the quadrants of the fully resolved image and RP2, RP3, and RP4 are pixel values in remote quadrants of the fully resolved image.