Multiband Excitation Pulses for Treatment Response Studies with Hyperpolarised 13C Fumarate

Markus Durst¹, Stephan Dwel¹, Concetta V. Gringeri², Yvonne Kosanke³, Claudia Gross³, Rickmer Braren³, Axel Haase¹, Marion I. Menzel², Rolf F. Schulte²

13C-labeled fumarate is a promising candidate for hyperpolarised in-vivo applications because it could allow the early detection of necrosis. The goal of this work was to design and implement an efficient sequence for the in-vivo quantification of fumarate and its metabolite. The sequence combines a multiband excitation pulse specifically tailored to the spectrum of fumarate and malate with IDEAL spiral imaging. Saturation recovery spectra are acquired for malate to analyse the metabolic kinetics. First measurements in an orthotopic rat tumour model were performed before and after transcatheter arterial embolisation to validate the effectiveness of the method.