A framework for predicting X-nuclei transmitter gain using 1H signal

Commercial human MR scanners are optimised for proton imaging, containing sophisticated prescan algorithms with setting parameters such as RF transmit gain and power. These are not optimal for X-nuclear application and are challenging to apply to hyperpolarised experiments, where the non-renewable magnetisation signal changes during the experiment. We hypothesised that, despite the complex and inherently nonlinear electrodynamic physics underlying coil loading and spatial variation, simple linear regression would be sufficient to accurately predict X-nuclear transmit gain based on concomitantly acquired data from the proton body coil. We collected data across 156 scan visits at two sites as part of ongoing studies investigating sodium, hyperpolarised carbon, and hyperpolarised xenon. We demonstrate that simple linear regression is able to accurately predict sodium, carbon, or xenon transmit gain as a function of position and proton gain, with variation that is less than the intrasubject variability. In conclusion, sites running multinuclear studies may be able to remove the time-consuming need to separately acquire X-nuclear reference power calibration, inferring it from the proton instead

Hyperpolarized (13) C,(15) N2 -Urea MRI for assessment of the urea gradient in the porcine kidney.

PURPOSE: A decline in cortico-medullary osmolality gradient of the kidney may serve as an early indicator of pathological disruption of the tubular reabsorption process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of hyperpolarized (13) C,(15) N2 -urea MRI as a biomarker of renal function in healthy porcine kidneys resembling the human physiology. METHODS: Five healthy female Danish domestic pigs (weight 30 kg) were scanned at 3 Tesla (T) using a (13) C 3D balanced steady-state MR pulse sequence following injection of hyperpolarized (13) C,(15) N2 -urea via a femoral vein catheter. Images were acquired at different time points after urea injection, and following treatment with furosemide. RESULTS: A gradient in cortico-medullary urea was observed with an intramedullary accumulation 75 s after injection of hyperpolarized (13) C,(15) N2 -urea, whereas images acquired at earlier time points postinjection were dominated by cortical perfusion. Furosemide treatment resulted in an increased urea accumulation in the cortical space, leading to a reduction of the medullary-to-cortical signal ratio of 49%. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that hyperpolarized (13) C,(15) N2 -urea MRI is capable of identifying the intrarenal accumulation of urea and can differentiate acute renal functional states in multipapillary kidneys, highlighting the potential for human translation. Magn Reson Med, 2016. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine