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In Vivo Proton MR Spectroscopy of the Breast¹

¹ From the Department of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (P.S.); and Department of Radiology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02215 (C.M.). Received May 10, 2007; revision requested May 31 and received July 5; accepted July 9. C.M. is a 1994 U.S. patent holder for an MR spectroscopic imaging method and apparatus; P.S. has no financial relationships to disclose. Address correspondence to C.M. (e-mail: cemountford{at}bics.bwh.harvard.edu).

In vivo proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (hydrogen 1 spectroscopy) provides useful information about the pathology of breast lesions by the measurement of diagnostic chemicals visible on the MR timescale. Spectroscopic measurements may be obtained following contrast-enhanced MR imaging by applying a point-resolved spatially localized spectroscopy sequence. The observation of resonances at discrete spectral frequencies allows an accurate diagnosis. In spectra obtained in vivo in malignant breast cancers, an observed resonance at 3.23 ppm is consistent with phosphocholine. In spectra from benign breast lesions and some normal breast tissue in lactating mothers and in some nonlactating healthy women, a recorded resonance at 3.28 ppm is thought to originate from glycerophosphocholine, taurine, or myoinositol. The success of in vivo spectroscopy depends on the appropriate pre-acquisition setup, acquisition protocol, and postprocessing techniques for achieving high spectral resolution and a signal-to-noise ratio sufficient to separate the resonances of the important biomarkers. When implemented correctly, the method is diagnostically accurate and robust.

© RSNA, 2007