Quantitative 31P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Breast at 7 Tesla.

Jannie Petra Wijnen¹, Mariska P. Luttje¹, Wybe J. M. van Der Kemp¹, Peter R. Luijten¹, Dennis W. J. Klomp¹

In this study we quantified the metabolite levels of phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine in the breast of healthy volunteers. We used a dedicated ³¹P breast coil at 7T and used outer volume suppression to eliminate contributions from the chest muscle. The phosphomonoester signals had good SNR and were artifact free. With routine proton imaging and phantom calibration measurements the PME content could be quantified to absolute concentrations. The concentration found for PE and PC are within physiological range and agree with literature that report on total choline levels in the breast.