Simultaneous single-quantum and triple-quantum filtered sodium images at 4T in vivo

Introduction Sodium is the second most abundant MR sensitive nucleus in the human body. Its quadrupolar nature makes it sensitive to the local environment. Triple-quantum filtered (TQF) sodium imaging has been proposed as a method to distinguish intrafrom extra-cellular sodium (1, 2). Since the intracellular sodium is strongly linked to cell viability, it is of special interest. In this abstract a novel method is presented which increases the efficiency of a TQF sequence by interleaving the TQF preparation with a radial readout of ultra short echo time, thereby acquiring a single-quantum as well as a triple-quantum filtered image.