Patent Document ID: 9778336
Application ID: 14180026
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for producing a series of images of a subject associated with a plurality of different slice locations using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the steps of the method comprising: a) directing the MRI system to perform a pulse sequence that includes: generating a radio frequency (RF) excitation field that simultaneously excites spins in a plurality of different slice locations; establishing a first magnetic field gradient sequence along a first direction to form magnetic resonance signals from the excited spins; establishing a second magnetic field gradient sequence during the first magnetic field gradient sequence and along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the first and second magnetic field gradient sequences define a k-space trajectory that traverses a segment of k-space; establishing a third magnetic field gradient sequence during the first magnetic field gradient sequence and along a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions, wherein the third magnetic field gradient sequence imparts a phase shift to the formed magnetic resonance signals along one of the first and second directions; b) acquiring first k-space data from the segment of k-space, the first k-space data being indicative of the plurality of different slice locations; c) repeating a) and b) to acquire second k-space data from a different segment of k-space, wherein during the repetition of step a) at least one of the first and second magnetic field gradient sequences is modified to define a different k-space trajectory that traverses a different segment of k-space and wherein additional data is acquired from a given slice location by sampling a different segment of k-space; and d) reconstructing a series of images from the first and second k-space data, the series of images including images associated with the plurality of different slice locations.