The fast spiral-SelMQC technique for in vivo MR spectroscopic imaging of polyunsaturated fatty acids in human breast tissue

Optimal Phased-Array Signal Combination For Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Measurement In Breast Cancer Using Multiple Quantum Coherence MR Spectroscopy At 3T

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), a key marker in breast cancer, is non-invasively quantifiable using multiple quantum coherence (MQC) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at the expense of losing half of the signal. Signal combination for phased array coils provides potential pathways to enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR), with current algorithms developed for conventional brain MRS. Since PUFA spectra and the biochemical environment in the breast deviate significantly from those in the brain, we set out to identify the optimal algorithm for PUFA in breast cancer. Combination algorithms were compared using PUFA spectra from 17 human breast tumour specimens, 15 healthy female volunteers, and 5 patients with breast cancer on a clinical 3 T MRI scanner. Adaptively Optimised Combination (AOC) yielded the maximum SNR improvement in specimens (median, 39.5%; interquartile range: 35.5-53.2%, p < 0.05), volunteers (82.4 ± 37.4%, p < 0.001), and patients (median, 61%; range: 34-105%, p < 0.05), while independent from voxel volume (rho = 0.125, p = 0.632), PUFA content (rho = 0.256, p = 0.320) or water/fat ratio (rho = 0.353, p = 0.165). Using AOC, acquisition in patients is 1.5 times faster compared to non-noise decorrelated algorithms. Therefore, AOC is the most suitable current algorithm to improve SNR or accelerate the acquisition of PUFA MRS from breast in a clinical setting.

Optimized selective lactate excitation with a refocused multiple-quantum filter

Selective detection of lactate signals in in vivo MR spectroscopy with spectral editing techniques is necessary in situations where strong lipid or signals from other molecules overlap the desired lactate resonance in the spectrum. Several pulse sequences have been proposed for this task. The double-quantum filter SSel-MQC provides very good lipid and water signal suppression in a single scan. As a major drawback, it suffers from significant signal loss due to incomplete refocussing in situations where long evolution periods are required. Here we present a refocused version of the SSel-MQC technique that uses only one additional refocussing pulse and regains the full refocused lactate signal at the end of the sequence.

Optimized multiple-quantum filter for robust selective excitation of metabolite signals

The selective excitation of metabolite signals in vivo requires the use of specially adapted pulse techniques, in particular when the signals are weak and the resonances overlap with those of unwanted molecules. Several pulse sequences have been proposed for this spectral editing task. However, their performance is strongly degraded by unavoidable experimental imperfections. Here, we show that optimal control theory can be used to generate pulses and sequences that perform almost ideally over a range of rf field strengths and frequency offsets that can be chosen according to the specifics of the spectrometer or scanner being used. We demonstrate this scheme by applying it to lactate editing. In addition to the robust excitation, we also have designed the pulses to minimize the signal of unwanted molecular species.

Center-out echo-planar spectroscopic imaging with correction of gradient-echo phase and time shifts

A procedure to prevent the formation of image and spectral Nyquist ghosts in echo-planar spectroscopic imaging is introduced. It is based on a novel Cartesian center-out echo-planar spectroscopic imaging trajectory, referred to as EPSICO, and combined with a correction of the gradient-echo phase and time shifts. Processing of homogenous sets of forward and reflected echoes is no longer necessary, resulting in an optimized spectral width. The proposed center-out trajectory passively prevents the formation of Nyquist ghosts by privileging the acquisition of the center k-space line with forward echoes at the beginning of an echo-planar spectroscopic imaging dwell time and by ensuring that all k-space lines and their respective complex conjugates are acquired at equal time intervals. With the proposed procedure, concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate, creatine, choline, glutamate, and myo-inositol were reliably determined in human white matter at 3 T.