Quantitative liver 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 3T on a clinical scanner

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine 2014-05, Vol.71 (5), p.1670-1675
• Main Authors: Laufs, Alessandra, Livingstone, Roshan, Nowotny, Bettina, Nowotny, Peter, Wickrath, Frithjof, Giani, Guido, Bunke, Jürgen, Roden, Michael, Hwang, Jong-Hee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 31P MRS; 3T clinical scanner; Cohort Studies; Feasibility Studies; Female; human liver; Humans; Liver - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; molar quantification; Observer Variation; Phosphates - metabolism; phosphorus compounds; Phosphorus Isotopes - pharmacokinetics; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - instrumentation; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - methods; Radiopharmaceuticals - pharmacokinetics; Reference Values; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24835

Purpose The aims of this study were (i) to establish a robust and fast method to quantify hepatocellular phosphorus compounds in molar concentration on a 3T clinical scanner, (ii) to evaluate its reproducibility, and (iii) to test its feasibility for a use in large cohort studies. Method Proton‐decoupled 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy of liver 31P compounds were acquired on 85 healthy subjects employing image selected in‐vivo spectroscopy localization in 13 min of acquisition at 3T. Absolute quantification was achieved using an external reference and double‐matching phantoms (inorganic phosphates and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) solutions). Reproducibility of the method was also examined. Results This method showed a high intra‐ and interday as well as inter‐ and intraobserver reproducibility (r > 0.98; P < 0.001), with a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) (i.e., mean SNR of γ‐ATP: 16). The mean liver concentrations of 85 healthy subjects were assessed to be 1.99 ± 0.51 and 2.74 ± 0.55 mmol/l of wet tissue volume for Pi and γ‐ATP, respectively. Conclusion This method reliably quantified molar concentrations of liver 31P compounds on 85 subjects with a short total examination time (∼25 min) on a 3T clinical scanner. Thus, the current method can be readily utilized for a clinical study, such as a large cohort study. Magn Reson Med 71:1670–1675, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.