Key Points
- To review the clinical utility, biochemical diagnostic capabilities, and current technical limitations of 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) for evaluating myocardial disease in vivo.
- Narrative synthesis of noninvasive, tracer-free 31P MRS molecular imaging principles utilizing nuclear spin signals.
- Evaluation of metabolic assessment across conditions including ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertrophy, and valvular disease, alongside treatment-monitoring capabilities.
- 31P MRS successfully characterizes in vivo myocardial metabolism and metabolic abnormalities across multiple cardiovascular conditions without ionizing radiation or external tracers.
- Clinical adoption remains restricted to research settings due to low temporal and spatial resolution, limited reproducibility, and long acquisition times, though spectrometer and postprocessing advancements are progressing.
Structured PICO
IIntervention31-phosphorous (31P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
31P MRS is a promising noninvasive tool for assessing cardiac metabolism, though technical limitations currently restrict its use to research settings.
Limitations
- poor reproducibility
- low spatial and temporal resolution
- long acquisition times