Magnetic resonance method and apparatus to acquire multiple image data sets from a subject

A magnetic resonance apparatus comprising:

• a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit comprising a basic field magnet that generates a basic magnetic field in an examination volume of the data acquisition unit;
• gradient coils in said data acquisition unit that generate gradient fields in the examination volume;
• a gradient coil unit that controls the gradient coils to generate said gradient fields;
• a radio-frequency transmitter that generates radio-frequency signals;
• a radio-frequency antenna system connected to said radio-frequency transmitter that radiates said radio-frequency signals into an examination subject located in said examination volume of said data acquisition unit, and that acquire radio-frequency signals from the examination subject that result from the radiated radio-frequency signals;
• a receiver unit connected to said antenna system that receives the detection radio-frequency signals;
• a control device that operates said gradient coil control unit, said receiver unit and said radio-frequency transmitter, said control unit being configured to cause said radio-frequency transmitter and said antenna system to radiate a plurality of excitation pulses into the examination subject, and to operate said gradient control unit to generate, after each excitation pulse, a first echo signal after a first echo time TE1, and a second echo signal after second echo time TE2, with TE2 being longer than TE1, and to operate said radio-frequency antenna system and said receiver unit to detect the first echo signal and to enter the first echo signal in a first raw magnetic resonance data set, and to detect the second echo signal and to enter the second echo signal into a second raw magnetic resonance data set;
• and
• a computer supplied with said first and second raw magnetic resonance data sets, said computer being configured to acquire a first image data from the first raw magnetic resonance data set based on magnitude information contained in the first raw magnetic resonance data set, and to acquire a second image data set from the second raw magnetic resonance data set based on phase information contained in the second raw magnetic resonance data set;
• and
• a memory connected to said computer in which said computer stores said first and second image data sets.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with programming instructions, said medium being loaded into a computerized operating and data evaluation system of a magnetic resonance apparatus, and said programming instructions causing said computerized operating and data evaluation system to:

• radiate a plurality of excitation pulses into an examination subject in a magnetic resonance data acquisition of said magnetic resonance apparatus;
• operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit to generate, after each excitation pulse, a first echo signal after a first echo time TE1 and a second echo signal after a second echo time TE2, with TE2 being longer than TE1;
• detect said first echo signal and entering said first echo signal in a first raw magnetic resonance data set, and detect said second echo signal and entering said second echo signal in a second raw magnetic resonance data set that is separate from said first raw magnetic resonance data set;
• acquire a first image data set from the first raw magnetic resonance data set based on magnitude information contained in the first raw magnetic resonance data set;
• acquire a second image data set that is separate from said first image data set, from the second raw magnetic resonance data set based on phase information contained in the second raw magnetic resonance data set;
• and
• store said first and second image data sets in at least one memory device in a form allowing access to said first and second image data sets.