Noninvasive measurements of transmural myocardial metabolites using a 3D (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Localized {dollar}sp{lcub}31{rcub}{dollar}P NMR spectroscopy is widely used to study myocardial metabolites. The invasive open chest animal models allow easy access to the heart, so that the RF coils can be in direct contact with the heart surface. These open chest models utilize B{dollar}sb1{dollar} localization techniques to obtain transmural myocardial spectra with a reasonable signal to noise (SNR). However, the destructive nature of open chest study makes it impossible for this type of study to be used as a clinical diagnostic tool. Spectra generated by conventional noninvasive techniques, on the other hand, suffer from low SNR since the heart wall is distant to a large RF coil and moves independently from the RF coil. In this research project, a novel spatially localized {dollar}sp{lcub}31{rcub}{dollar}P chemical shift imaging technique based on the 3D B{dollar}sb0{dollar} Fourier Series Window and Selective Fourier Transform (FSW/SFT) methods has been proposed to study the myocardial metabolism noninvasively. In order to improve the spatial resolution and SNR, the research was conducted at 9.4T horizontal bore magnet. The thesis project consisted of four phases: First, a 3D k-space sampling algorithm using FSW/SFT was designed. Second, the necessary hardware such as RF coil was constructed. Third, the algorithm was tested and validated using phantoms and in vivo animals. Finally, the technique was implemented on the physiological applications. The signal localization quality has been thoroughly tested and validated in both in vitro and in vivo settings. As a result, a completely noninvasive detection of transmural myocardial metabolites using {dollar}sp{lcub}31{rcub}{dollar}P NMR spectroscopy is now possible using the current technique.