Selective sampling for assessing structural spatial frequencies with specific contrast mechanisms

The disclosed embodiments provide a method for acquiring MR data at resolutions down to tens of microns for application in in-vivo diagnosis and monitoring of pathologies for which changes in fine tissue textures can be used as markers of disease onset and progression. Bone diseases, tumors, neurologic diseases, and diseases involving fibrotic growth and/or destruction are all target pathologies.Further the technique can be used in any biologic or physical system for which very high-resolution characterization of fine scale morphology is needed. The method provides rapid acquisition of selected values in k space, with multiple successive acquisitions of individual k values taken on a time scale on the order of microseconds, within a defined tissue volume, and subsequent combination of themultiple measurements in the way as to maximize SNR. The reduced acquisition volume, and acquisition of only select values in the k space along selected directions enable much higher in-vivo resolution than is obtainable with