Pitfalls in Lactate Measurements at 3T

Abstract

SUMMARY: In clinical MR spectroscopy at higher field strengths, lactate may show reduced or absent signal intensity at an echo time of 144 ms. Although this false-negative result may be predicted from theory, experimental verification and clinical impact have not been fully established. Using scanners from 3 major vendors, spectra from phantoms and patients demonstrate the lactate signal loss and potential error in interpretation. Strategies are discussed to overcome, or at least alleviate, this problem.