Direct cerebral and cardiac 17O-MRI at 3 Tesla: initial results at natural abundance.
OBJECTIVE
To establish direct (17)O-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for metabolic imaging at a clinical field strength of 3 T.


METHODS
An experimental setup including a surface coil and transmit/receive switch was constructed. Natural abundance in vivo brain images of a volunteer were acquired with a radial three-dimensional (3D) sequence in the visual cortex and in the heart with electrocardiogram (ECG)-gating.


RESULTS
In the brain, a signal-to-noise ratio of 36 was found at a nominal resolution of (5.6 mm)(3), and a transverse relaxation time of T(2)* = (1.9 ± 0.2) ms was obtained. In the heart (17)O images were acquired with a temporal resolution of 200 ms.


CONCLUSIONS
Cerebral and cardiac (17)O-MRI at natural abundance is feasible at 3 T.
Robert
R
Borowiak
Jens
J
Groebner
Martin
M
Haas
Jürgen
J
Hennig
Michael
M
Bock
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*
D010103:Oxygen Isotopes; D010100:Oxygen