Spectroscopic imaging: Basic principles

Spectroscopic imaging (SI) is a method that enables the measurement of the spatial distribution of metabolite concentrations in tissue. In this paper, an overview of measurement and processing techniques for SI is given. First, the basic structure of SI pulse sequences is introduced and the concepts of k-space, point spread function and spatial resolution are described. Then, special techniques are presented for the purpose of eliminating spurious signals and reducing measurement time. Finally, basic post-processing of SI data and the methods for viewing the results of SI measurement are summarized.