Spectrally selective three-dimensional dynamic balanced steady-state free precession for hyperpolarized C-13 metabolic imaging with spectrally selective radiofrequency pulses.

Purpose: Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequences can provide superior signal-to-noise ratio efficiency for hyperpolarized (HP) carbon-13 ( C) magnetic resonance imaging by efficiently utilizing the nonrecoverable magnetization, but managing their spectral response is challenging in the context of metabolic imaging. A new spectrally selective bSSFP sequence was developed for fast imaging of multiple HP C metabolites with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Theory And Methods: This novel approach for bSSFP spectral selectivity incorporates optimized short-duration spectrally selective radiofrequency pulses within a bSSFP pulse train and a carefully chosen repetition time to avoid banding artifacts.

Results: The sequence enabled subsecond 3D dynamic spectrally selective imaging of C metabolites of copolarized [1- C]pyruvate and [ C]urea at 2-mm isotropic resolution, with excellent spectral selectivity (∼100:1). The sequence was successfully tested in phantom studies and in vivo studies with normal mice.

Conclusion: This sequence is expected to benefit applications requiring dynamic volumetric imaging of metabolically active C compounds at high spatiotemporal resolution, including preclinical studies at high field and, potentially, clinical studies. Magn Reson Med 78:963-975, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.