Fast and robust pulsed chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI using a quasi-steady-state (QUASS) algorithm at 3 T

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) has emerged as a powerful technique to image dilute labile protons. However, its measurement depends on the RF saturation duration (T-sat) and relaxation delay (T-rec). Although the recently developed quasi-steady-state (QUASS) solution can reconstruct equilibrium CEST effects under continuous-wave RF saturation, it does not apply to pulsed-CEST MRI on clinical scanners with restricted hardware or specific absorption rate limits. This study proposed a QUASS algorithm for pulsed-CEST MRI and evaluated its performance in muscle CEST measurement. An approximated expression of a steady-state pulsed-CEST signal was incorporated in the off-resonance spin-lock model, from which the QUASS pulsed-CEST effect was derived. Numerical simulation, creatine phantom, and healthy volunteer scans were conducted at 3 T. The CEST effect was quantified with asymmetry analysis in the simulation and phantom experiments. CEST effects of creatine, amide proton transfer, phosphocreatine, and combined magnetization transfer and nuclear Overhauser effects were isolated from a multi-pool Lorentzian model in muscles. Apparent and QUASS CEST measurements were compared under different T-sat/T-rec and duty cycles. Paired Student's t-test was employed with P < 0.05 as statistically significant. The simulation, phantom, and human studies showed the strong impact of T-sat/T-rec on apparent CEST measurements, which were significantly smaller than the corresponding QUASS CEST measures, especially under short T-sat/T-rec times. In comparison, the QUASS algorithm mitigates such impact and enables accurate CEST measurements under short T-sat/T-rec times. In conclusion, the QUASS algorithm can accelerate robust pulsed-CEST MRI, promising the efficient detection and evaluation of muscle diseases in clinical settings.