A Comparative Study of PRESS, STEAM, sLASER, and LASER Techniques in Soleus Muscle Long Echo Time MRS at 3T

Motivation: The motivation for this study is to improve the detection of intramyocellular and extramyocellular lipids in the human soleus muscle using long echo time MRS techniques at 3T. Goal(s): The goal is to evaluate and compare various long echo time MRS techniques at 3T, specifically to determine their effectiveness in detecting IMCL and EMCL in the soleus muscle. Approach: MR spectroscopy was performed on the human soleus muscle at 3T using multiple long echo time (TE = 270 ms) techniques, including STEAM, PRESS, sLASER, and LASER. Results: The STEAM MRS technique was particularly advantageous showing improved reproducibility and signal clarity across metabolites. Impact: Provides insights for researchers in sports science aiming to assess muscle metabolism. By identifying the most effective MRS techniques for detecting IMCL and EMCL lipids, it can inform protocols for evaluating muscle health in athletes and patients with metabolic disorders.