Fast metabolite mapping in the pig heart after injection of hyperpolarized (13) C-pyruvate with low-flip angle balanced steady-state free precession imaging.
The conversion of hyperpolarized (13) C pyruvate to metabolic products in the Krebs cycle provides valuable information about the metabolic status and the viability of the myocardium. Therefore, imaging methods must be able to spectrally discriminate different (13) C metabolites. However, the requirement for spectral selectivity conflicts with the demands for rapid image acquisition and high spati