Abstract #3075

Ebel A, Zhu X, Weiner M, Ji J, Schuff N

We introduce a method of incorporating sensitivity encoding (SENSE) to 3D echo planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI). Metabolite and interleaved water reference 3D-EPSI, covering the whole brain, were acquired at 4T and reconstructed using SENSE. Frequency shifts of metabolite resonances due to local B0 inhomogeneities in the brain were corrected based on the water resonance line. k-space extrapolation was carried out to reduce lipid contamination. Typical proton spectra from gray matter areas and images of brain metabolites, including NAA, Cr and Cho, are presented, demonstrating the feasibility. Decreases of SNR and spectral resolution in the under-sampled 3D-SENSE-EPSI were investigated and discussed.