Fast CT-PRESS-based spiral chemical shift imaging at 3 tesla

A new sequence is presented that combines constant-time point-resolved spectroscopy (CT-PRESS) with fast spiral chemical shift imaging. It allows the acquisition of multivoxel spectra without line splitting with a minimum total measurement time of less than 5 min for a field of view of 24 cm and a nominal 1.5 × 1.5-cm² in-plane resolution. Measurements were performed with 17 CS encoding steps in t, (Δt₁ = 12.8 ms) and an average echo time of 151 ms, which was determined by simulating the CT-PRESS experiment for the spin systems of glutamate (Glu) and myo-inositol (ml). Signals from N-acetyl-aspariate, total creatine, choline-containing compounds (Cho), Glu, and ml were detected in a healthy volunteer with no or only minor baseline distortions within 14 min on a 3 T MR scanner.