31 P MR spectroscopic imaging combined with 1 H MR spectroscopic imaging in the human prostate using a double tuned endorectal coil at 7T

Purpose Improved diagnostic sensitivity could be obtained in cancer detection and staging when individual compounds of the choline pool can be detected. Therefore, a novel coil design is proposed, providing the ability to acquire both 1 H and 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) in patients with prostate cancer. Methods A two‐element 1 H/ 31 P endorectal coil was designed by adjusting a commercially available 3T endorectal coil. The two‐element coil setup was interfaced as a transceiver to a whole body 7T MR scanner. Simulations and phantom measurements were performed to compare the efficiency of the coil. 1 H MRSI and 31 P MRSI were acquired in vivo in prostate cancer patients. Results The efficiency of the 1 H/ 31 P coil is comparable to the dual channel 1 H coil previously published. Individually distinguishable phospholipid metabolites in the in vivo 31 P spectra were: phosphoethanolamine, phosphocholine, phosphate, glycerophosphoethanolamine, glycerophosphocholine, phosphocreatine, and adenosine triposphate. 1 H MRSI was performed within the same scan session, visualizing choline, polyamines, creatine, and citrate. Conclusion 1 H MRSI and 31 P MRSI can be acquired in the human prostate at 7T within the same scan session using an endorectal coil matched and tuned for 1 H (quadrature) and 31 P (linear) without the need of cable traps and with negligible efficiency losses in the 1 H and 31 P channel. Magn Reson Med 72:1516–1521, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.