An MR imaging apparatus is presented and includes a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet to impress a polarizing magnetic field. An RF transceiver system and an RF switch are controlled by a pulse module to transmit and receive RF signals to and from an RF coil assembly to acquire MR images. The MR imaging apparatus also includes a computer programmed to apply a 3D imaging sequence and acquire MR data using a segmented acquisition. The computer is further programmed to reconstruct an image from the MR data that is substantially free of eddy current induced artifacts.