Parahydrogen-induced polarization in imaging: Subsecond 13C angiography

Abstract

High nuclear spin polarization of 13C was reached in organic molecules. Enhancements of up to 104, compared to thermal polarization at 1.5 T, were achieved using the parahydrogen-induced polarization technique in combination with a field cycling method. While parahydrogen has no net polarization, it has a high spin order, which is retained when hydrogen is incorporated into another molecule by a chemical reaction. By subjecting this molecule to a sudden change of the external magnetic field, the spin order is transferred into net polarization. A 13C angiogram of an animal was generated in less than a second. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.