Optimizing PRESS localized citrate detection at 3 Tesla

Analytical methods are used to characterize the response of the strongly coupled two-spin system of citrate to point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS)-based sequences at 3 T. The signal output is analyzed line by line, as well as in the Cartesian product operator basis. Patterns with a periodicity of 80.9 ms are identified. Furthermore, it is shown that at TE = n (.) 80.9 ms (n is an element of {0,1,2,...1}), the spin evolution can be described without direct reference to strong coupling terms. The theoretical results are found to be in good agreement with in vivo experiments. These results can be used to design protocols for prostate MRS and MRSI at 3 T, and give guidelines for optimizing spin-echo-based acquisition schemes for detecting two-spin systems at arbitrary field strengths. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.