Parallel Detection of Lactate-Edited 1H MRSI and DMI to Differentiate Total and Active Lactate Pools in Brain Tumors

Motivation: Detecting both static and dynamic metabolism through ¹H MRSI and DMI can provide valuable insights into tumor biology. However, reliable detection of lactate (Lac) in tumors using ¹H MRSI is often compromised by lipid contamination. Goal(s): Develop an interleaved edited ¹H MRSI-DMI sequence that allows parallel acquisition of both 1H MRSI and DMI, and robustly detect 1H-Lac in the presence of lipids, to provide insights into tumor metabolism. Approach: Seven 2H-scans could be acquired in parallel with every 1H MRS scan as validated in vitro and demonstrated in vivo. Results: The combined 1H MRSI-DMI successfully revealed key tumor-associated static(tCho,NAA,Lac) and dynamic(2H-Glx,2H-Lac) metabolic changes. Impact: The interleaved edited 1H MRSI and DMI offers an opportunity to study and compare the static and active metabolism in parallel with robust 1H-Lac detection providing novel and complementary insights to the wide range of clinical MRI scans.