Abstract: In magnetic resonance imaging apparatus employing magnetic gradient fields in a phase-encode direction for spatially encoding excited MR active nuclei in a region of interest of a patient, in which a reduced number of readings in the phase-encode direction is taken, thereby creating an aliased reduced field of view image, a pair of r.f. receive coils is used together with sensitivity information concerning those coils in order to unfold the aliased image to produce a full image while taking advantage of the reduced time of collection of data. In accordance with the invention, the phase sensitivity pattern of each coil over the region of interest is different from that of the other coil.