Patent attributes
An NMR imaging process includes subjecting an imaging object to a uniform polarizing magnetic field. Orthogonal magnetic field gradients are applied to the imaging object. RF energy is applied to the imaging object. The RF energy includes a plurality of angular precession frequencies simultaneously applied to correspond to a respective plurality of selected slices of the imaging object. A corresponding plurality of nuclear magnetic resonance signals emitted by the imaging object are simultaneously detected. The nuclear magnetic resonance signals are processed to provide diagnostic information related to individual ones of the plurality of selected slices. In this way, multiple slices are excited and sampled simultaneously. The RF energy can be applied by applying RF energy to the imaging object according to a fast-spin echo technique and subsequently applying RF energy to the imaging object according to a driven equilibrium technique.
