Magnetic resonance fingerprinting – An overview

Abstract

Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) is a new approach to quantitative magnetic resonance imaging that allows simultaneous measurement of multiple tissue properties in a single, time-efficient acquisition. The ability to reproducibly and quantitatively measure tissue properties could enable more objective tissue diagnosis, comparisons of scans acquired at different locations and time points, longitudinal follow-up of individual patients and development of imaging biomarkers. This review provides a general overview of MRF technology, current preclinical and clinical applications and potential future directions. MRF has been initially evaluated in brain, prostate, liver, cardiac, musculoskeletal imaging, and measurement of perfusion and microvascular properties through MR vascular fingerprinting.