Fast proton spectroscopic imaging using the sliced k-space method.

The use of one-shot imaging methods for proton spectroscopic imaging (1H-SI) is examined. In particular the acquisition of Kx x Ky x Nt data points by means of Nt excitations, each acquiring a Kx x Ky k-space slice, is advocated. A number of strategies for realising this experiment, and combining it with water suppression and volume-selection are proposed. The practical implementation at 4.7 T for 1H-SI of the rat brain is described. Experimental results from a 32 x 32 spatial matrix with Nt = 64 are presented. Spectra obtained from volumes as low as 3.5 microliters and within measuring times of as little as 3.8 min are shown. In these choline, creatine/phosphocreatine and N-acetylaspartate are all clearly visible.