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MRI and 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopy hardware for axillary lymph node investigation at 7T
Author(s) -
Rivera Debra S.,
Wijnen Jannie P.,
Kemp Wybe J. M.,
Raaijmakers Alexander J.,
Luijten Peter R.,
Klomp Dennis W. J.
Publication year - 2015
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.25304
Subject(s) - axilla , magnetic resonance imaging , lymph node , axillary lymph nodes , transceiver , lymph , breast cancer , nuclear magnetic resonance , nuclear medicine , computer science , physics , medicine , radiology , telecommunications , pathology , cancer , wireless
Purpose Neoadjuvant treatment response in lymph nodes predicts patient outcome, but existing methods do not track response during therapy accurately. In this study, specialized hardware was used to adapt high‐field (7T) 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), which has been shown to track treatment response in small breast tumors, to monitor axillary lymph nodes. Method A dual‐tuned quadrature coil that is a 31 P (120 MHz) transceiver and a 1 H (300 MHz) receiver was designed using a novel detune circuit. The transceiver/receiver coil in the axilla is used with a fractionated dipole antenna on the back of the subject and the conventional breast coil for transmit. Results The novel circuit detuned the 1 H resonance without disturbing the 31 P resonance. In vivo demonstrations included: >80% homogeneous B 1 + for 1 H over the axilla, identification of a small (3‐mm diameter) lymph node, and 31 P MR spectra from a single healthy lymph node. The setup can detect <2 millimolar concentrations of metabolites from a 2‐mL voxel. Conclusions The first 31 P MR spectrum from an in vivo lymph node indicates that the presented design may be sufficiently sensitive to detect metabolic response to neoadjuvant therapy. Multinuclei MRS of the lymph nodes at 7T is possible through combining lightweight antenna elements with dual‐tuned transceiver/receive‐only coils. Magn Reson Med 73:2038–2046, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.