| 摘要 |
In accordance with the present invention, a method for imaging a malignancy in a patient, in situ, requires feeding the patient a nutrient that is enriched with carbon 13 (13C). This feeding step can be accomplished either orally or intravenously, and can last for approximately 24 hours. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques are then used on the patient with rf energy that is tuned to the nuclear resonance of 13C. An image of selected tissue in the patient is thereby created, and this image is thereafter evaluated for any concentrations of 13C that will delineate a malignancy. If present, the malignancy can then be treated. A subsequent (feeding)/(MRI imaging) procedure may be performed. The image that is created in this subsequent procedure can then be compared with the image that was created in the first procedure to determine the efficacy of the treatment, or to determine a growth rate for the malignancy.
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