MRI of focal cerebral ischemia using (17)O-labeled water

This work presents a novel approach for quantifying low concentrations of H(2)(17)O in vivo and explores its utility for assessing cerebral ischemia. Oxygen-17 enriched water acts as a T(2) shortening contrast agent whose effect can be suppressed by decoupling at the (17)O frequency during TE interval in a spin-echo MR image. Serial T(2)-weighted echo planar images were acquired in phantoms and rat brain with decoupler power alternated every eight images. The resulting periodic signal change (proportional to H(2)(17)O concentration) was detected by cross-correlating the square-wave decoupler power timecourse with the signal intensity in each voxel. Natural abundance (0.037 atom%) images of H(2)(17)O in rat brain were generated. The transverse relaxivity of H(2)(17)O in brain was estimated, R(2) = 2.4+/-0.5 s(-1)(atom%)(-1). After bolus injection of 1 ml of 10 atom% H(2)(17)O, brain H(2)(17)O concentration was estimated at 0.06+/-0.01 atom%. In the rat focal ischemia model, (17)O cross-correlation maps compared well with diffusion and Gd-DTPA perfusion images to indicate infarct location. Magn Reson Med 43:876-883, 2000.