B₀-insensitive image navigators for prospective motion-corrected MRS with localized second-order shimming

Localized shimming in single-voxel MRS often results in large B₀ inhomogeneity outside the volume-of-interest. This causes unacceptable degradation in motion navigator images. Switching back and forth between whole-brain shim and localized shim is possible for linear shims, but not for higher-order shims. Here we propose motion navigators largely insensitive to B₀ inhomogeneity for prospective motion-corrected MRS with localized higher-order shimming.

A recent fast high-resolution motion navigator based on spiral-in/out k-space trajectories and multislice-to-volume registration was modified by splitting the readout into multiple shot interleaves which shortened the echo time and reduced the effect of B₀ inhomogeneity. The performance of motion correction was assessed in healthy subjects in the prefrontal cortex using a sLASER sequence at 3T (N = 5) and 7T (N = 5).

With multiple spatial interleaves, excellent quality navigator images were acquired in the whole brain in spite of large B₀ inhomogeneity outside the MRS voxel. The total duration of the navigator in sLASER remained relatively short even with multiple shots (3T: 10 spatial interleaves 94 ms per slice; 7T: 15 spatial interleaves 103 ms per slice). Prospective motion correction using the multi-shot navigators yielded comparable spectral quality (water linewidth and metabolite SNR) with and without subject motion.

B₀-insensitive motion navigators enable prospective motion correction for MRS with all first- and second-order shims adjusted in the MRS voxel, providing optimal spectral linewidth.