FIELD: physics.
SUBSTANCE: invention can be used for magnetic resonance imaging. When distinguishing between fat and water in acquired magnetic resonance (MR) data, a modified Dixon method includes acquiring first and second signals I1 and I2, calculating first and second components B and S of the signals I1 and I2, where one of the first and second components corresponds to fat and the other corresponds to water, deriving two differential phase error candidates from said components, and selecting a phase error candidate based on the assumption of smoothness of the disturbing field inhomogeneity. The exact determination of the absolute values of the water and fat components is then made by solving three signal equations for two variables that respectively correspond to water and fat, and is performed using for example a least square minimisation with a Newton method.
EFFECT: faster scanning, high image quality and higher flexibility of selecting protocol parameters.
15 cl, 9 dwg
