Abstract: RF and gradient pulse combinations (30, 32, 36, 38) are applied to limit or define a region of interest in two dimensions (42) by pre-saturating surrounding regions (34a, 34b, 40a, 40b). A 90.degree. RF pulse (50) is applied in the presence of a slice select gradient (60) to excite selected dipoles in a slice or slab, defining the region of interest or voxel in the third dimension. Phase encoding gradients (62) and (64) are applied to encode spatial position in two dimensions of the slice. A binomial refocusing pulse (52) suppresses the water and refocuses the metabolite resonance into an echo which is acquired (68) by a receiver (26). A Fourier transform means (72, 74) transforms the received magnetic resonance signals to create a two dimensional array (76) or matrix of spectra (78) corresponding to a two dimensional array of spatial positions within the slice.

Abstract: Magnetic resonance is excited in first selected dipoles and suppressed in second selected dipoles in an examination region (10) by the application of a binomial 90.degree. pulse (40). The induced resonance is phase encoded along at least two axes by phase encode gradients (42, 44). Concurrently, an RF refocussing pulse (54) and a slice select gradient pulse (56) are applied. Analogous pulse pairs (68, 70; 72, 74) are applied once with the slice select gradient along each of three mutual orthogonal axes such that a voxel or volume defined by the intersection of the three slices is defined. A magnetic resonance echo (84) is allowed to form, which echo is attributable to the resonating dipoles within the defined voxel. The phase encoding gradients have divided the voxel into subvoxels along the respective axes.