Method and apparatus of slice selective magnetization preparation for moving table MRI

An MRI apparatus comprising:

• a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system having a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet to spatially encode spins and an RF transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF signals to an RF coil assembly to acquire MR images;
• and
• a computer programmed to:
• receive a user input identifying a preparation interval, TI, for a pulse sequence that acquires data of a patient being continuously translated through an imaging volume via a moving table;
• from the preparation interval, determine a frequency offset value, foff, to be applied to a preparation RF pulse of the pulse sequence;
• modify application of the preparation RF pulse to account for translation of the patient through the imaging volume;
• and
• generate a modified pulse sequence such that the preparation RF pulse has been modified by the offset value.

A computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon to acquire MR data of a patient being translated through an imaging volume, the computer program having a set of instructions that when executed causes a computer to:

• determine a distance that spins of a magnetization prepared tissue of a patient will travel while the patient is translated through an imaging volume by a moving table during a prescribed preparation interval defined as the time between application of a preparation pulse and commencement of an imaging pulse sequence;
• determine, from the distance, a preparation volume of interest of the patient;
• and
• generate the imaging pulse sequence to acquire MR data from the patient being translated through a fixed imaging volume such that the preparation volume of interest is prepared before being presented in the fixed imaging volume.