Selective chemical imaging with a three-dimensional gradient echo sequence

A combination of frequency selective excitation and saturation is used to separated water and fat components in magnetic resonance imaging. In conjunction with a gradient echo sequence (fast low angle) shot and a three-dimensional data acquisition, a large volume of the body can be covered. A set of 32 water or fat images can be obtained within 3.5 min using a repetition time of 50 ms and a 256 x 256 half Fourier space matrix. As no correction data or additional image calculations are necessary, the method can easily be applied to routine examinations.