Dynamic Glucose Enhanced MRI of Brain Tumors using Direct Water Saturation

The transverse relaxation time (T2) of water is affected by the presence of exchangeable protons that are chemically shifted with respect to the water protons. We use direct saturation (DS) MRI to dynamically measure this effect during infusion of D-glucose to assess its uptake in brain tumors. The change in T2 becomes apparent as a line broadening of the DS spectrum, which is acquired using a whole-brain water saturation shift reference (WASSR) acquisition. First results using 0.5g/kg D-glucose show linewidth changes on the order of a few Hertz in glioma patients, allowing separation of tumor tissue from healthy brain tissue.