Angus Z. Lau1,2, Albert P. Chen3,
Nilesh Ghugre2, Venkat Ramanan2, Wilfred W. Lam2,
Kim A. Connelly4, Graham A. Wright1,2, Charles H.
Cunningham1,2
1Dept. of Medical Biophysics,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Imaging Research,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; 3GE
Healthcare, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka
Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michaels Hospital and University of Toronto,
Toronto, ON, Canada
A
rapid multi-slice cardiac-gated spiral 13C imaging pulse sequence
consisting of a large flip-angle spectral-spatial excitation RF pulse with a
single-shot spiral k-space trajectory was implemented and demonstrated in vivo. This sequence allows for
whole heart coverage (6 slices, 8.8 mm in-plane resolution) in any plane,
with imaging of the metabolites of interest, [1-13C] pyruvate, [1-13C]
lactate, and 13C bicarbonate, within a single 20 s breathhold. The
sequence is anticipated to be useful in the non-invasive monitoring of
changes in spatial distribution of metabolites in disease.