In vivo MR spectroscopy of human breast tissue: quantification of fatty acid composition at a clinical field strength (3 T)

International audienceOBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of in vivo measurement of the fatty acid (FA) composition of breast adipose tissue by MRS on a clinical platform. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MRS experiments were performed at 3 T, using a STEAM sequence, on 25 patients diagnosed with breast cancer. MR spectra, acquired on healthy breast tissue, were analysed with the LCModel. RESULTS: The measured values of the saturated fatty acid (SFA), mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) fractions were 23.8 ± 7.1 %, 55.4 ± 6.8 % and 20.8 ± 4.4 %, respectively. The values of SFA, MUFA and PUFA observed in the current study are in the same range as those found in two previous studies performed at 7 T. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study show that it is possible to quantify the fatty acid composition of breast tissue in vivo in a clinical setting (3 T