Quantitative 1H MRS of the Normal Human Breast

Patrick J. Bolan¹, Navneeth Lakkadi¹

The clinical utility of ¹H MRS measurements in breast cancer is well-established. The question of whether or not a total choline (tCho) resonance is detectable in normal breast is relevant to the clinical application. This work aims to measure the total choline concentration in the normal (non-lactating, asymptomatic) human breast and determine if normal subjects can be used to developing new sequences. Using single-voxel spectroscopy and T₂-corrected water as an internal reference, a tCho peak was identified in 9/14 subjects, with a median [tCho] of 0.46 mmol/kg. tCho detection was predictable based on the unsuppressed water SNR.