A system and method enables the creation of medical images using data related to ghost artifacts. The method thus allows components of an imaged subject to be segmented based on state changes in the components that lead to the controlled production of ghost artifacts. This is achieved in MR by performed a pulse sequence so that multiple sets of MR data are acquired in which the signals from a target tissue vary across the data sets while the signals from a background tissue do not vary across the data sets. A composite data set is generated by populating selected k-space lines of the composite data set with information from a first MR data set and populating the remaining k-space lines of the composite data set with information from a second MR data set. An MR image is then reconstructed from the composite data set. The MR image contains ghost artifacts that faithfully reproduce the 2D or 3D anatomic detail of the target tissues without signal contributions from the background tissues, allowing for background-suppressed or segmented MR images of a target tissue without the need for image subtraction.