Initial human hyperpolarized 13C cardiac imaging experiments utilized a frequency-selective, single-shot spiral pulse sequence for encoding, and a rigid 8 channel receiver array paired with a Helmholtz clamshell transmitter. In phantom studies, we evaluate this RF hardware along with flexible transmit / receiver designs and test these in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, as pointed out previously, the detected circumferential distribution of [13C]bicarbonate around the myocardium is often non-uniform in pigs, thus confounding the translation of this technique for regional metabolism evaluation. We observed this artifact in human volunteers and explore its possible sources.
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