Hyperpolarized ¹³C MRI data acquisition and analysis in prostate and brain at University of California, San Francisco

Abstract

Based on the expanding set of applications for hyperpolarized carbon-13 (HP-13 C) MRI, this work aims to communicate standardized methodology implemented at the University of California, San Francisco, as a primer for conducting reproducible metabolic imaging studies of the prostate and brain. Current state-of-the-art HP-13 C acquisition, data processing/reconstruction and kinetic modeling approaches utilized in patient studies are presented together with the rationale underpinning their usage. Organized around spectroscopic and imaging-based methods, this guide provides an extensible framework for handling a variety of HP-13 C applications, which derives from two examples with dynamic acquisitions: 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate and frequency-specific 2D multislice echo-planar imaging of the human brain. Details of sequence-specific parameters and processing techniques contained in these examples should enable investigators to effectively tailor studies around individual-use cases. Given the importance of clinical integration in improving the utility of HP exams, practical aspects of standardizing data formats for reconstruction, analysis and visualization are also addressed alongside open-source software packages that enhance institutional interoperability and validation of methodology. To facilitate the adoption and further development of this methodology, example datasets and analysis pipelines have been made available in the supporting information.

Comprehensive Literature Review of Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 MRI: The Road to Clinical Application

“…Improved workflow may come from consensus and multicenter studies. Multicenter studies [ 155 ] and detailed descriptions of the methods used in data acquisition and analysis [ 156 ] of clinical HP 13 C MRI experiments are needed to ensure reliability and comparability across research sites. Although several sites are performing clinical trials, the number of study participants is still limited.…”

Imaging and treatment of brain tumors through molecular targeting: Recent clinical advances

“…Hyperpolarized 13 C MRI has been undertaken in the healthy brain and in small studies of patients with brain tumors. Initial results have demonstrated the feasibility of imaging both glycolytic and oxidative metabolism within the healthy brain [86,87], detecting lactate and bicarbonate formation within the parenchyma (Fig. 2).…”

Pilot Study of Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging in Pediatric Patients with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Other CNS Cancers

“…Dynamic EPI and EPSI 13 C data were processed according to previously described methods 21 and postprocessed to enhance the signal. 22 These data were then summed across time to display the total metabolite signal.…”