Testing inter-scanner reproducibility of CrCEST at 3T

Motivation: CrCEST MRI can map muscle-specific oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), yet its reproducibility across different scanners has not been tested. Goal(s): To evaluate the inter-scanner reproducibility of CrCEST imaging across three 3T scanners in reliably assessing skeletal muscle OXPHOS. Approach: Three healthy participants underwent CrCEST scans in three 3T Siemens Prisma scanners over separate days. Muscle group specific ΤCrCEST was measured following mild plantar flexion exercise. ICC was calculated for the skeletal muscle group's Cr recovery rates to assess inter-scanner reproducibility. Results: Moderate reproducibility was observed in lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscle groups (ICC = 0.73, 0.54). Impact: This study highlights the inter-scanner reproducibility of CrCEST MRI technique for mapping muscle group-specific OXPHOS activity with moderate reproducibility in calf muscle. High reliability of this technique will enable broader application in multi-center trials and research studies on muscular OXPHOS.