Fast proton spectroscopic imaging using the sliced k-space method

The use of one-shot imaging methods for proton spectroscolpic imaging (¹H-SI) is examined. In particular the acquisition of K_x × K_y × N_t data points by means of N_t excitations, each acquiring a K_x, × K_y, k-space slice, is advocated. A number of strategies for realising this experiment, and combining it with water suppression and volume-selection are proposed. The practical implementation at 4.7 T for ¹H-Sl of the rat brain is described. Experimental results from a 32 × 32 spatial matrix with N_t = 64 are presented. Spectra obtained from volumes as low as 3.5 μl and within measuring times of as little as 3.8 min are shown. In these choline, creatine/phosphocreatine and N-acetylaspartate are all clearly visible.