Systems and methods for steady-state echo magnetic resonance imaging

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

• a magnet system configured to generate a polarizing magnetic field about at least a region of interest (ROI) of a subject arranged in the MRI system, wherein the polarizing magnetic field is inhomogeneous within the ROI;
• a plurality of gradient coils configured to apply a gradient field to the polarizing magnetic field;
• a radio frequency (RF) system configured to apply an excitation field to the subject and acquire MR image data from the ROI;
• a computer system programmed to control the plurality of gradient coils and the RF system to:
• (i) perform a series of radio frequency pulses formed of L individual RF pulses (Pj;
• j=1, 2, . . . L) applied with a constant time interval, τ, between each of the L individual RF pulses to form a B1 magnetic field about at least of the ROI, the L individual RF pulses having a flip angle (αj) that is less than 30 degrees;
• (ii) perform phase encoding gradients to achieve spatial encoding;
• (iii) perform an imaging acquisition process over an acquisition window (Acq) following the phase encoding gradients to acquire imaging data;
• (iv) perform phase encoding rephasing gradients to rewind spins introduced by the phase encoding gradients;
• (v) repeat steps (i)-(iv) such that a time between a center of the acquisition window (Acq) and a center of a first RF pulse in a first RF pulse in a repetition of (i) is equal to the constant pulse interval (τ);
• (vi) generate images of the ROI that are substantially free of artifacts caused by inhomogeneities of the polarizing magnetic field;
• and
• wherein the computer system is further programmed to perform a B0 mapping of inhomogeneities of the polarizing magnetic field with the series of radio frequency pulses.