Noninvasive temperature measurement in vivo using a temperature-sensitive lanthanide complex and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

A new lanthanide complex, praseodymium-2-methoxyethyl-DO3A, was tested as a temperature indicator for 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy under in vivo conditions, using a 2-T imaging system. The chemical shift of the methoxy group of the compound is strongly temperature dependent. In vitro, a shift change of -0.131 ppm/degree C was found. The signal was shifted by about -24 ppm relative to the water signal, allowing easy water suppression and signal identification in vivo. The body temperatures of eight anesthetized rats were measured in the liver after intravenous administration of 1 mmol/kg of the praseodymium complex under different heating conditions of the animal. The temperatures calculated from the spectra were in good agreement (deviation < +/- 1 degree C) with values obtained simultaneously with a thermocouple placed in the rectum of the animals.