Synopsis

Pre-acquisition adjustments in ¹H MRS are essential precondition that directly affects the quality of acquired spectra, which is the key factor for reliable metabolite quantification. B₁ shimming is used only for ultra-high magnetic fields (7T and above) to maximize the peak B₁⁺ in the region of interest. B₀ shimming is the adjustment of magnetic field spatial homogeneity, which is the key factor affecting the spectral resolution. Efficient water suppression (WS) is very important because the strong residual water signal may interfere with metabolite quantification. Two WS techniques are discussed: VAPOR and metabolite cycling.