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Abstract #3371

Application of Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) to the Spinal Cord at 7 Tesla

Adrienne N. Dula1, Pooja Gaur1, 2, Catherine E. Frame1, 3, Jane Anne Trapp Hirtle1, Blake E. Dewey1, Richard D. Dortch1, Seth A. Smith1

1Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; 2Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; 3Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center


We apply CEST to healthy cervical spinal cord at 7T and compare the results with our previous studies at 3T. We hypothesize that development of spinal cord CEST could reveal the health of the spinal cord and its relationship to disease earlier than conventional methods. Results include calculation of the amide proton asymmetry effect by integrating the area between a Lorentzian fit and the acquired CEST spectra. APT asymmetry maps at 7T reveal white/gray matter delineation but the mean values of 5 healthy controls were not significant.

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