SWI and MRSI Unite! Metabolic Insights into Iron Deposition in Relapsing-Remitting MS via 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging

Besides clinical examination, conventional T1/T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) is the method of choice for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In contrast to cMRI, which - in MS - can only depict the severity of irreversible tissue damage and is not able to explain underlying pathological processes, MR Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) can detect pathologies on a biochemical level, while Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) provides information about iron deposition. In 31 relapsing-remitting (RRMS) patients, we investigate - via ultra-high resolution FID-MRSI at 7T - metabolic characteristics of different types of iron accumulation and the metabolic distribution within lesions and their vicinity.