Combined 31P and 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging of Phosphomono and -Diesters in Human Brain Tumors at 3T.

Jannie Petra Wijnen¹, Tom W.J. Scheenen¹, Arend Heerschap¹

We demonstrated the clinical feasibility of combined ¹H and ³¹P MRSI with sensitivity enhancement by polarisation transfer of ¹H to ³¹P spins of human brain tumours at 3T to uncover the composition of (phosphorylated)choline and phosphorylated ethanolamine compounds in the membrane. Preliminary results from 4 patients with different tumour types show potentially important differences among tumours. This opens a window on a detailed view of the levels of some key metabolites in membrane phospholipid metabolism of human tumours.