Oleksandr Khegai1,
2, Rolf F. Schulte2, Martin A. Janich2, Marion I.
Menzel2, Eliane Farrell3, Angela M. Otto4,
Jan Henrik Ardenkjaer-Larsen5, 6, Steffen J. Glaser1,
Axel Haase4, Markus Schwaiger3, Florian Wiesinger2
1Department
of Chemistry, Technische Universitt Mnchen, Munich, Germany; 2GE
Global Research, Munich, Germany; 3Institute of Nuclear Medicine,
Technische Universitt Mnchen, Munich, Germany; 4Institute of
Medical Engineering, Technische Universitt Mnchen, Munich, Germany; 5MST-ASL
MR, GE Healthcare, Copenhagen, Denmark; 6Department of Electrical
Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
Hyperpolarization of [1-13C]pyruvate in solution enables dynamic imaging of pyruvate metabolism using MRS methods. In this work, we present methods for the quantification of dynamic hyperpolarized 13C signals, with an emphasis on spatially resolved apparent rate constant mapping. This novel type of quantitative contrast comprehensively visualizes metabolic activity of underlying tissues and organs. In comparison to individual metabolite images, apparent rate constant maps emphasize metabolically active tissues and suppress regions of high perfusion but low conversion (e.g. blood vessels). Based on high metabolic activity of the tumor, its location can be clearly identified from the apparent rate constant maps.
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