Biochemical and physiological MR imaging of skeletal muscle at 7 tesla and above.
Ultra-high field (UHF; >or=7 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its greater signal-to-noise ratio, offers the potential for increased spatial resolution, faster scanning, and, above all, improved biochemical and physiological imaging of skeletal muscle. The increased spectral resolution and greater sensitivity to low-gamma nuclei available at UHF should allow techniques such as (1)H MR spectroscopy (MRS), (31)P MRS, and (23)Na MRI to be more easily implemented. Numerous technical challenges exist in the performance of UHF MRI, including changes in relaxation values, increased chemical shift and susceptibility artifact, radiofrequency (RF) coil design/B (1)(+) field inhomogeneity, and greater RF energy deposition. Nevertheless, the possibility of improved functional and metabolic imaging at UHF will likely drive research efforts in the near future to overcome these challenges and allow studies of human skeletal muscle physiology and pathophysiology to be possible at >or=7 T.
Chang
Gregory
G
Department of Radiology, Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, 10016, USA. gregory.chang@nyumc.org
Wang
Ligong
L
Cárdenas-Blanco
Arturo
A
Schweitzer
Mark E
ME
Recht
Michael P
MP
Regatte
Ravinder R
RR
D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism