Patent ID: 8085044

Claim:
A method for producing a spatially and spectrally selective radiofrequency (RF) excitation field with an RF coil that forms a part of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the steps comprising: a) determining a desired spatial RF excitation pattern; b) determining a desired spectral RF excitation pattern; c) estimating an RF transmission profile map indicative of transmission characteristics of the RF coil; d) calculating, from the determined spatial and spectral excitation patterns and the estimated RF transmission profile map, a magnetic field gradient waveform; e) calculating, from the determined spatial and spectral excitation patterns, the estimated RF transmission profile map, and the calculated gradient waveform, an RF excitation pulse waveform; f) producing, with the MRI system, a magnetic field gradient using the calculated magnetic field gradient waveform; and g) producing, with the MRI system, an RF pulse using the calculated RF pulse waveform in order to produce, with the RF coil, an RF excitation field indicative of the desired spatial and spectral excitation patterns.