Correction and optimization of symmetric echo-planar spectroscopic imaging for hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]-pyruvate

Symmetric echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) supports higher spectral bandwidth and improves signal-to-noise efficiency compared to flyback EPSI with the same readout bandwidth, but suffers from artifacts that are associated with non-uniform temporal sampling in k-t space. Our goal is to eliminate these artifacts and enhance observation of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C] pyruvate and its metabolites using symmetric EPSI. We used symmetric EPSI to efficiently acquire radially encoded spectroscopic imaging projections with a spectral under-sampling scheme that was optimized for HP pyruvate and its metabolites. A simple approach called selective correction of off-resonance effects (SCORE) was developed and applied to eliminate spectral artifacts. Simulations were used to assess the relative SNR performance of this technique, and a phantom study was carried out at 3 T to evaluate this method and compare it with alternative strategies. SCORE correction eliminated spectral artifacts due to chemical shift and non-uniform sampling in time. It is also compatible with established methods to eliminate artifacts caused by eddy currents. SCORE corrected symmetric EPSI supported maximal EPSI spectral bandwidth and improved SNR efficiency. Symmetric EPSI with SCORE correction offers a straightforward, efficient, and effective framework for assessment of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C] pyruvate and its metabolites.