19f MRI için yeni spektroskopik görüntülemeyöntemleri

Fluorine-19 magnetic resonance imaging provides high specificity and no background signal, making it ideal for molecular imaging of disease markers and therapeutic carriers. This work was driven by the need to monitor targeted drug delivery in peritoneal carcinoma, requiring sensitive and quantifiable detection of fluorinated nanocarriers in vivo. To meet this need, two novel Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging sequences were developed: Fluorine ultrafast Turbo Spectroscopic Imaging (F-uTSI) and Balanced Spiral Spectroscopic Imaging (BaSSI). These methods addressed the challenges of low 19F sensitivity and spectral complexity in perfluorocarbon agents through optimized RF pulses, k-space sampling, and artifact-suppressing reconstructions. Both sequences were validated through in silico simulations and in vitro experiments, and evaluated using imaging efficiency and a Rose-criterion-based detection framework. Compared to 3D ultra-short echo time balanced steady-state free precession (UTE bSSFP), BaSSI achieved superior performance in detecting sub-microliter PFC phantoms. Postmortem imaging with BaSSI further confirmed accurate anatomical localization using PFC-labeled polymer capsules. While both F-uTSI and BaSSI enabled robust 19F imaging, BaSSI emerged as a strong candidate for targeted therapy monitoring in oncology.