Echo sharing in imaging sequences with multiple delays and multiple spin echoes

A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system, comprising:

• an MR system controller configured to:
• generate an MR image of an object and to apply a multi spin-echo based imaging sequence in which, after one excitation RF pulse, several spin-echoes are acquired in a plurality of k space segments, and a preparation pulse is used before acquiring the several spin-echoes;
• acquire a first k-space dataset of the object using a first echo time and a first delay after the preparation pulse and before the several spin-echoes are acquired, the first k space dataset comprising a first segment that is located closer to a k space center than a second segment, with a density of acquired k space data lines being smaller in the second segment than in the first segment,
• acquire a second k space dataset of the object using a second echo time and a second delay after the preparation pulse, the at least one of the second echo time and the second delay time being different than the corresponding first echo time and the first delay time, the second k space dataset comprising a first segment that is located closer to a k space center than a second segment, with a density of acquired k space data lines being smaller in the second segment than in the first segment, and the acquired k space data lines in the second segment of the second k space dataset being different than the acquired k space data lines of the second segment of the first k space data set;
• and
• generate a combined k space dataset comprising a combined second segment in which k space data lines of the second segment of first k space dataset and k space data lines of the second segment of the second k space dataset are combined;
• and
• one or more processors configured to generate an MR image based on the combined k space dataset.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium associated with a magnetic resonance imaging system having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of the magnetic resonance imaging system, cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to:

• generate an MR image of an object and to apply a multi spin-echo based imaging sequence in which, after one excitation RF pulse, several spin-echoes are acquired in a plurality of k space segments, and a preparation pulse is used before acquiring the several spin-echoes;
• acquire a first k-space dataset of the object using a first echo time and a first delay after the preparation pulse and before the several spin-echoes are acquired, the first k space dataset comprising a first segment that is located closer to a k space center than a second segment, with a density of acquired k space data lines being smaller in the second segment than in the first segment,
• acquire a second k space dataset of the object using a second echo time and a second delay after the preparation pulse, the at least one of the second echo time and the second delay time being different than the corresponding first echo time and the first delay time, the second k space dataset comprising a first segment that is located closer to a k space center than a second segment, with a density of acquired k space data lines being smaller in the second segment than in the first segment, and the acquired k space data lines in the second segment of the second k space dataset being different than the acquired k space data lines of the second segment of the first k space data set;
• and
• generate a combined k space dataset comprising a combined second segment in which k space data lines of the second segment of first k space dataset and k space data lines of the second segment of the second k space dataset are combined;
• and
• generate an MR image based on the combined k space dataset.