Enhancing Spectral Resolution in Proton MRSI of Human Calf Muscles Using SPREAD

Zhengchao Dong^1,2, Feng Liu^1,2, Yunsuo Duan^1,2, Alayar Kangarlu^1,2, Bradley Peterson^1,2

In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging have been employed to assess extramyocellular lipid (EMCL) and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) stores in human and animals, based on the effect of bulk magnetic susceptibility of EMCL. However, the inhomogeneities of the magnetic fields caused by the spatial variations of B0 lead to spectral line broadening and lineshape distortion that will decrease spectral resolution and hamper the separation of IMCL and EMCL. In this study, we applied the SPREAD method (Spectral Resolution Amelioration by Deconvolution) to improve the spectral resolution of proton MRSI data measured on human calf muscle at 3T.