Slice profile optimization for a nuclear magnetic resonance tomography apparatus operated with a gradient echo sequence

Claim 1

In a method for operating a magnetic resonance imaging tomography apparatus using a gradient echo sequence including the steps of exciting nuclear spins in a slice of an examination subject by generating an excitation RF pulse in the presence of a slice selection gradient in a first direction, phase-coding the excited nuclear spins by a phase-coding gradient in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction to obtain a nuclear magnetic resonance signal, and reading out said nuclear magnetic resonance signal in the presence of a read-out gradient in a third direction perpendicular to said first and second directions, the improvement comprising: generating a pre-saturation RF pulse in said slice selected by said slice selection gradient before generating said excitation RF pulse, said presaturation RF pulse having a frequency spectrum which excites regions of said slice corresponding to the edges of said RF excitation pulse; and generating a spoiler gradient between said pre-saturation RF pulse and said excitation RF pulse.