Fast 3D Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 Metabolic MRI with Enhanced Spatio-Temporal Resolution Using Radial Multi-Echo bSSFP and PSF Optimization

Motivation: Hyperpolarized (HP) 13C MRSI enables dynamic imaging of metabolism, but short imaging windows and irreversible longitudinal relaxation enforce trade-offs between spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution. Goal(s): The study aims to optimize dynamic HP 13C MRSI imaging with high spatio-temporal resolution by a sliding-window reconstruction and tuning readout parameters. Approach: In vivo 13C MRI data were measured with a 3D radial multi-echo bSSFP sequence with a sliding-window acquisition. Readout trajectory parameters were optimized by point spread function (PSF) simulations and validated by an in vitro experiment. Results: Our technique provided high-resolution dynamic 13C MRI and improved kinetic-model fitting and readout efficiency. Impact: Dynamic hyperpolarized 13C MRSI imaging is optimized by a sliding-window technique, producing high-resolution dynamic images and improving kinetic model fitting. The approach optimizes trade-offs between spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution in HP 13C metabolic MRI.