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Reliable detection of macromolecules in single‐volume 1 H NMR spectra of the human brain
Author(s) -
Seeger Uwe,
Mader Irina,
Nägele Thomas,
Grodd Wolfgang,
Lutz Otto,
Klose Uwe
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.1127
Subject(s) - macromolecule , volume (thermodynamics) , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , spectral line , excitation , spectroscopy , proton , analytical chemistry (journal) , chromatography , physics , nuclear physics , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , astronomy
In short echo time proton MR spectra of the brain, resonances from macromolecules are visible. The macromolecular resonances in the 0.5–2.0 ppm region can be affected by lipid contamination arising from fat‐containing regions outside the selected volume of interest (VOI). This study demonstrates that considerable lipid contamination may remain in stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) spectra even if the spoiling of unwanted coherences is sufficient and the VOI is placed 2 cm or more away from fat‐containing regions. The observed contamination was attributed to residual remote out‐of‐volume excitation, although only very small out‐of‐slice ripples of less than 0.2% of the in‐slice excitation were found in the calculated excitation profile of the RF pulses. Spatial presaturation of fat‐containing regions led to a sufficient suppression of the contamination and enabled the detection of highly reproducible macromolecular resonances. Thus, in single‐volume spectroscopy as well as in spectroscopic imaging (SI or CSI), the combination of volume selection and outer volume presaturation, each in three dimensions, is highly recommended to ensure accurate detection and reliable evaluation of even small pathological alterations in macromolecules, e.g., proteins or lipids, or other resonances in the 0.5–2.0 ppm region. Magn Reson Med 45:948–954, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.