Noninvasive tissue characterization of myocardium by topical 1H-and 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Because of its nondestructive nature, topical nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (TMR) was employed for the noninvasive evaluation of congenital cardiomyopathy (CM) in Syrian hamsters (BIO 14.6 strain). In a preliminary study, the size and pulse duration of the surface coil was determined to ensure that the detecting field covered the animal heart. The phosphate metabolite signals of the heart were distinguished from those of organs near the heart. At the cardiac apex, spectroscopically obtained constituent ratios of lipid/water by 1H-TMR and creatine phosphate/ATP by 31P-TMR were less in hamsters with CM than in the age-matched normal control animals, which was in accordance with biochemical analyses performed after killing the animals.