Ultrafast mri system and method

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method comprising:

• applying a gradient magnetic field g and an initial excitation radio-frequency (RF) pulse to a three-dimensional (3D) imaging volume in the presence of a steady main magnetic field acting on said imaging volume;
• acquiring MR signals for the entire imaging volume from each of a multitude of receiving coils arranged in a 3D array around the imaging volume, during MR signal acquisition in the substantial absence of spatial-encoding gradient reversals or RF pulses after the initial excitation RF pulse;
• wherein each of said receiving coils receives MR signals generated by the entire imaging volume;
• applying computer-implemented image reconstruction algorithms to the MR signals to thereby generate a 3D image of an object in the imaging volume;
• and
• displaying the 3D image as such or as two-dimensional (2D) images derived therefrom.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method comprising:

• acquiring MR signals from a three-dimensional (3D) object in an imaging field in response to an initial RF excitation of the object but in the absence of subsequent spatial encoding RF excitation pulses and/or spatial encoding gradient magnetic field reversals;
• reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) image of the object from the MR signals;
• and
• displaying the 3D image.

A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory form in a computer-readable medium and comprising algorithms that, when executed by a computer system, cause the system to carry out the steps of:

• acquiring magnetic resonance (MR) signals for an entire three-dimensional (3D) imaging volume generated from each of a multitude of receiving coils arranged in a 3D array around an imaging volume, during MR signal acquisition in the substantial absence of spatial encoding gradient reversals or spatial encoding RF pulses after to an initial encoding RF pulse;
• applying image reconstruction algorithms to the MR signals to thereby generate a 3D image of an object in the imaging volume;
• and
• displaying the 3D image as such or as two-dimensional (2D) images derived therefrom.