Premium
Evaluation of optimal echo time for 1 H‐spectroscopic imaging of brain tumors at 3 Tesla
Author(s) -
Hattingen Elke,
Pilatus Ulrich,
Franz Kea,
Zanella Friedhelm E.,
Lanfermann Heinrich
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.20985
Subject(s) - nuclear magnetic resonance , echo (communications protocol) , nuclear medicine , echo time , physics , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , radiology , computer science , computer network
Purpose To compare the spectral quality of short echo time (TE) MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI, TE = 30 msec) with long‐TE MRSI (TE = 144 msec) at 3 Tesla in normal brain and tumor tissue. Materials and Methods Spectroscopic imaging (chemical‐shift imaging (CSI)) data of 32 patients with histopathological confirmed brain lesions were acquired at 3 Tesla (3T) using TEs of 30 msec and 144 msec. Tumor‐relevant metabolites (trimethylamine (TMA), creatine compounds (tCr), and N‐acetylated compounds (tNAA)) were analyzed with LCModel software, which applies prior knowledge by performing a frequency domain fit using a linear combination of model spectra. Results Short‐TE spectra provided up to twice the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) compared to TE = 144 msec. The estimated fitting error was improved up to 30% for TMA and tCr, but was slightly reduced (10%) for tNAA. Quantification in terms of absolute concentrations was consistent at both TEs. Conclusion Since other metabolites observable at TE < 30 msec may be of diagnostic relevance, short‐TE MRSI should be the preferred method at 3T for the evaluation of focal lesions in brain tissue; however, TE = 144 msec can serve as an option for MRS in regions with potential baseline problems. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:427–431. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.