Spectral quality control in motion‐corrupted single‐voxel J‐difference editing scans: An interleaved navigator approach

Motion has an adverse effect on spectral quality and needs to be properly identified in MR spectroscopy (MRS) scans. Spectral subtraction‐based techniques like J‐difference editing are prone to be affected more by subject motion where motion can result in false peaks or inefficient subtraction of peaks. Introducing a water signal‐based interleaved navigator scan in the MEGA point‐resolved spectroscopy (MEGA‐PRESS) sequence and acquiring data on a shot‐by‐shot basis, subject motion inside a scanner was tracked and motion‐corrupted data were identified and excluded from the dataset. Performing a γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) editing scan at the occipital cortex, it was possible to retrieve a properly edited GABA spectrum from a dataset otherwise to be discarded due to motion. This study demonstrates the importance of independent motion assessment in J‐difference editing. Magn Reson Med 58:808–812, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.