Under-sampling k-space for a three-dimensional echo planar imaging (epi) scan with magnetic resonance

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

• a magnet system configured to generate a polarizing magnetic field about at least a portion of a subject arranged in the MRI system;
• a plurality of gradient coils configured to apply gradient pulses to the polarizing magnetic field;
• a radio frequency (RF) system configured to apply an RF field to the subject and to acquire magnetic resonance (MR) image data therefrom;
• a processing device;
• and
• a memory storage device comprising instructions executable by the processing device to:
• for each radio-frequency excitation pulse of a plurality of radio-frequency excitation pulses in the MRI scan, sub-sampling a plurality of ky-kz planes using a three-dimensional (3D) echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence by:
• sub-sampling a plurality of phase encodings using a coherent sub-sampling in a ky dimension, wherein the coherent sub-sampling corresponds to a number of the plurality of radio-frequency excitation pulses;
• and
• sub-sampling, for each of the plurality of phase encodings in the ky dimension, one or more phase encodings in a kz dimension, wherein the plurality of ky-kz planes represent a sub-sampling pattern in the ky-kz space, using an incoherent sub-sampling in the kz dimension.