This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. INTRODUCTION The most common approach for reducing lipid signals in H brain chemical shift imaging (CSI) is the use of volume preselection via the PRESS technique. [1] This technique produces high quality metabolite spectra within a restricted brain volume. To achieve whole brain coverage, non-selective inversion recovery (IR) techniques are generally applied. [2] [3] At 1.5T, metabolite signal loss from IR is on the order of 30-40%. However, at higher fields, e.g. 3T, the increase in spectral separation between lipids and metabolites allows a frequency selective inversion. This paper discusses the design, implementation and results of an IR CSI pulse sequence that performs selective inversion for lipid suppression. METHOD The chemical shift between lipids and the closest metabolite (NAA) is 0.7 ppm. At 3T, these two spins are separated by 89 Hz. The design goals of the inversion pulse were a transition band less than 89 Hz, an inversion band wide enough to cover all of the lipid signals and a short enough pulse width to neglect relaxation effects during excitation. In the design, we chose a minimum phase RF pulse for a sharp transition band with 500 Hz inversion bandwidth and 20ms pulse width. The RF pulse synthesis was done using the Shinnar-Le Roux algorithm [4]. The ripple amplitudes were chosen such that the transition bandwidth was less than 89Hz. To test the effects of the selective IR, a 3T CSI imaging sequence was implemented with the following characteristics: spectral-spatial spin echo pulse for metabolite excitation and water suppression, TR/TI/TE=2000/170/144 ms, spiral readout gradients, single slice, 2.5 cc voxels and 2 minute acquisition. [5] CONCLUSION We have designed and implemented a 3T frequency selective IR spiral CSI pulse sequence. The effectiveness of the selective inversion recovery is demonstrated on an in vivo scan showing a lipid suppression factor on the order of 10 while maintaining excellent quality metabolite spectra. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Lucas foundation, NIH grants RR 09748, CA 48269 REFERENCES [1] P.A. Bottomley, Ann N Y Acad Sci, 508, 333, 333-348, 1987 [2] A. Ebel, et al, MRM, 49, 903-908, 2003 [3] D. M. Spielman, et al., JMRM 2:253-262, 1992 [4] J. Pauly, et al., IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging 10, 53-65, 1991 [5] E. Adalsteinsson, et al., MRM, 39, 889-898, 1998
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