Investigation of processing and acquisition parameters on calculation of PCr recovery rates

Motivation: Changes in acquisition and processing parameters may impact calculated PCr Recovery results and inhibit cross study comparisons. Goal(s): The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of alterations in acquisition and processing parameters on calculation of rate of phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery. Approach: The PCr recovery rates of 141 volunteers were calculated with total acquisition times of 10 min, 7.5 min and 5 minutes and the resultant k values were compared. Results: Although all calculated recovery rates were similar, shorter acquisition times resulted in faster recovery times. Therefore, it is important to use the same processing parameters to compare across studies. Impact: 31P spectroscopy acquisition and processing parameters should be carefully documented to ensure comparable results across studies. Future studies should consider investigating the calculation or assumption of PCr and ATP concentrations.