Method of performing magnetic resonance imaging and a magnetic resonance apparatus

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus, comprising:

• a gradient system to apply a gradient magnetic field;
• an excitation system to apply an excitation pulse to a subject and to receive signals from the subject;
• and
• a computing system to receive the signals from the excitation system, the computing system to execute program code to:
• control the gradient system and the excitation system, during a first cardiac cycle of a subject, to generate a first imaging sequence for application to the subject, the first imaging sequence comprising a first preparatory pulse and an inversion recovery pulse following the first preparatory pulse, and to detect first signals emitted from the subject in response to the first imaging sequence;
• generate first image data based on the first signals;
• control the gradient system and the excitation system, during a second cardiac cycle immediately following the first cardiac cycle, to generate a second imaging sequence for application to the subject, the second imaging sequence comprising a second preparatory pulse, and to detect second signals emitted from a subject in response to the second imaging sequence;
• generate second image data based on the second signals;
• and
• combine the first and second image data to produce composite image data,
• wherein the second imaging sequence does not comprise an inversion recovery pulse following the second preparatory pulse, and
• wherein the first preparatory pulse of the first imaging sequence or the second preparatory pulse of the second imaging sequence is a magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) pulse or a train of MTC pulses.

A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a computer system of a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus, and said programming instructions causing said computer system to operate the MR apparatus so as to:

• during a first cardiac cycle of a subject, generate a first imaging sequence for application to a subject, the first imaging sequence comprising a first preparatory pulse and an inversion recovery pulse following the first preparatory pulse, and detect first signals emitted from the subject in response to the first imaging sequence;
• generate first image data based on the first signals;
• during a second cardiac cycle immediately following the first cardiac cycle, generate a second imaging sequence for application to the subject, the second imaging sequence comprising a second preparatory pulse, and detect second signals emitted from the subject in response to the second imaging sequence;
• generate second image data based on the second signals;
• and
• combine the first and second image data to produce composite image data,
• wherein the second imaging sequence does not comprise an inversion recovery pulse following the second preparatory pulse, and
• wherein the first preparatory pulse of the first imaging sequence or the second preparatory pulse of the second imaging sequence is a magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) pulse or a train of MTC pulses.