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Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Prost Robert W.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2975225
Subject(s) - nuclear magnetic resonance , magnetic resonance imaging , spectroscopy , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , resonance (particle physics) , magnetic field , physics , atomic physics , medicine , radiology , astronomy , quantum mechanics
The nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon has given rise to both magnetic resonance imaging, which yields morphologic data, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), which yields chemical data. In humans these data are derived principally from the resonances of the hydrogen nucleus in the low molecular weight compounds in the body. Hydrogen MRS has become a routinely used clinical tool in the brain, prostate, and breast. Other nuclei also demonstrate this phenomenon but each of these comes with additional difficulties, including low abundance, low sensitivity, and/or low chemical concentrations. The future of MRS includes a drive to higher main magnetic field strengths and new methods to create 4–5 orders of magnitude greater signal. The future of MRS is bright, but in the United States it is endangered by overuse and misuse driven by the advent of reimbursement.