This study was designed to determine whether 1H-MR spectra of locally advanced human rectal adenocarcinoma could be acquired in vivo at 1.5 T. Despite the relatively large size of these neoplasms, only six out of 21 tumors accommodated a voxel size of 8 cm3. This was due to air pockets within the tumor mass, which limited voxel positioning. Localized proton spectra were acquired at short (20 ms) and long (135 ms) echo times (TEs) using a single-voxel technique. The most commonly detected metabolites were choline and lipid.
Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.