Frequency-specific SSFP for hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging at 14.1 T

Metabolic imaging of hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate co-polarized with [13C]urea by dynamic nuclear polarization with rapid dissolution is a promising new method for assessing tumor metabolism and perfusion simultaneously in vivo. Novel pulse sequences are required to enable dynamic imaging of multiple 13C spectral lines with high spatiotemporal resolution. The goal of this study was to investigate a new frequency-specific approach for rapid metabolic imaging of multiple 13C resonances using the spectral selectivity of steady-state free precession pulse (SSFP) trains. Methods developed in simulations were implemented in a dynamic frequency-cycled balanced SSFP pulse sequence on a 14.1-T animal magnetic resonance imaging scanner. This acquisition was tested in thermal and hyperpolarized phantom imaging studies and in a transgenic mouse with prostate cancer.