Experimental investigation of the performance of the ISIS technique for volume selected NMR spectroscopy

Of the methods proposed for volume selected NMR spectroscopy, few have achieved the popularity of 'image selected in vivo spectroscopy' (ISIS). Despite drawbacks, the value of this technique has been shown in various clinical situations, and it is the most widely used sequence for phosphorus spectroscopy. Volume selection sequences have been implemented on many commercial systems, and the range of applications is growing. Much of this work takes place outside the centres in which the techniques were developed. It is therefore essential that methods are devised to compare the efficacies of the various techniques and implementations. Such methods have been developed as part of a European Community Concerted Action. The authors describe the results of an evaluation of the ISIS technique as implemented on a particular commercial magnetic resonance system.<>