Optimized spiral imaging for measurement of myocardial T2 relaxation

Abstract

Microcirculation oxygen levels and blood volumes should be reflected in measurements of myocardial T2 relaxation. This work describes the optimization of a spiral imaging strategy for robust myocardial T2 measurement to minimize the standard deviation of T2 measurement (σT2). Theoretical and experimental studies of blurring at muscle/blood interfaces enabled the derivation of parameter sets which reduce σ T2 to the level of 5%. T2 relaxation mapping within healthy volunteers provided estimation of residual σ T2 within the optimized technique. The standard deviation in T2 measurement across regions of interest (ROIs) in different locations is about 9%. The standard deviation in T2 measurement in an ROI across different time points is about 5%. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.