Fast spectroscopic imaging of water and fat resonances to improve the quality of MR images.

Rationale and Objectives: The authors evaluated whether fast spectroscopic imaging of water and fat resonances can produce high-quality anatomic magnetic resonance (MR) images of rodent tumors and human breast.
Materials and Methods: Fast MR spectroscopic images of eight rats with mammary tumors were acquired by using a 4.7-T MR unit equipped with self-shielded gradient coils. MR spectroscopic images of four human breasts were acquired with a 1.5-T MR unit.
Results: Artifacts due to eddy currents were minimal. Images synthesized from MR spectroscopic data, in which intensity was proportional to water signal peak height, were similar to T2-weighted MR images. Boundaries of rodent mammary tumors are similar but not identical on peak height-weighted and T2-weighted images. MR spectroscopic images of human breast showed improved detail compared to gradient-echo MR images.
Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that incorporation of fast MR spectroscopic imaging methods into many standard clinical MR imaging procedures may substantially improve image quality.