Method and apparatus for generation of combined magnetic resonance images

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising:

• an MR data acquisition scanner comprising a first reception coil and a second reception coil that are different from each other;
• a computer loaded with a first image data record of an examination object, generated from MR data recorded with the first reception coil;
• said computer also being loaded with a second image data record of the examination object, generated from MR data recorded with the second reception coil, wherein the second reception coil has different coil characteristics than the first reception coil;
• said computer being configured to generate one interim image data record by applying a mask function to the first image data record, wherein said mask function hides an area outside of an area of interest of the examination object, and a size of the area of interest depends on an area defined by the coil characteristics of the first or second reception coil with which the MR data were recorded and from which the respective image data record was created;
• said computer being configured to combine said one interim image data record in said computer with the second image data record to which no mask function was applied;
• and
• said computer being configured to provide the combined MR image from the computer as a data file, formatted for storage or display.

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 comprising first and second reception coils that are different from each other, said programming instructions causing said computer system to:

• receive a first image data record of an examination object, generated from MR data recorded with the first reception coil;
• receive a second image data record of the examination object, generated from MR data recorded with the second reception coil, the second reception coil having different coil characteristics than the first reception coil;
• generate one interim image data record by applying a mask function to the first image data record, wherein said mask function hides an area outside of an area of interest of the examination object, and a size of the area of interest depends on an area defined by the coil characteristics of the first or second reception coil with which the MR data were recorded and from which the respective image data record was created;
• combine said one interim image data record in said computer with the second image data record to which no mask function was applied;
• and
• provide the combined MR image from the computer system as a data file, formatted for storage or display.