Method and apparatus for simultaneous magnetic resonance multi-contrast data acquisition

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising:

• an MR data acquisition scanner;
• a processor configured to operate an MR data acquisition scanner, by (a) selecting a number of different slices of the examination object from which MR scan data are to be acquired, and selecting a number of first contrasting scan parameters for generating scan data weighted with a first contrast, and selecting a number of second contrasting parameters for generating scan data represented with a second contrast, said first contrast and said second contrast being different from each other;
• said processor being configured to (b) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to excite nuclear spins in one of said different slices, using said first contrasting scan parameter;
• said processor being configured to (c) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to excite nuclear spins in at least one other slice among said different slices, using said second contrasting scan parameter;
• said processor being configured to (d) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to record echo signals produced by the nuclear spins excited in (b) and (c), as scan data, and store said scan data in a scan data set;
• said processor being configured to (e) repeat (b) through (d) in respective repetitions using different first contrasting scan parameters and using different second contrasting scan parameters, until nuclear spins in all slices of said different slices have been excited at least once with each first contrasting scan parameter and at least once with each second contrasting scan parameter, with echo signals produced in said repetitions also being stored in a scan data set.

A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a computer of a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus that comprises an MR data acquisition scanner, said programming instructions causing said computer to:

• (a) select a number of different slices of the examination object from which MR scan data are to be acquired, and select a number of first contrasting scan parameters for generating scan data weighted with a first contrast, and select a number of second contrasting parameters for generating scan data represented with a second contrast, said first contrast and said second contrast being different from each other;
• (b) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to excite nuclear spins in one of said different slices, using said first contrasting scan parameter;
• (c) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to excite nuclear spins in at least one other slice among said different slices, using said second contrasting scan parameter;
• (d) operate said MR data acquisition scanner in order to record echo signals produced by the nuclear spins excited in (b) and (c), as scan data, and store said scan data in a scan data set;
• (e) repeat (b) through (d) in respective repetitions using different first contrasting scan parameters and using different second contrasting scan parameters, until nuclear spins in all slices of said different slices have been excited at least once with each first contrasting scan parameter and at least once with each second contrasting scan parameter, with echo signals produced in said repetitions also being stored in a scan data set.