Abstract #0538

Quantification of T1 Relaxation Times and Nuclear Overhauser Effect of 31P Metabolites in the Human Prostate at 7T

Miriam W. Lagemaat¹, Marnix C. Maas¹, Eline K. Vos¹, Thiele Kobus¹, Andreas K. Bitz²,³, Mark J. van Uden¹, Stephan Orzada²,³, Arend Heerschap¹, Tom W.J. Scheenen¹,²

¹Radiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands; ²Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany; ³Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany

We assessed T₁ relaxation times of ³¹P metabolites in the human prostate and evaluated the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) as signal enhancement strategy for ³¹P MRSI of the prostate at 7T. T₁ relaxation times were found to be relatively long compared to other human tissues at 7T. To obtain a 3D ³¹P MRSI dataset within a clinically acceptable measurement time (TR ≤ 1.5s) with optimal SNR per unit time, a strongly reduced flip angle (≤ 45) is required. Signal enhancement by irradiating the water resonance to obtain NOE was successful, yielding up to 42% more signal for PE.