Cartesian dictionary-based native T1 and T2 mapping of the myocardium

Abstract

Purpose: To implement and evaluate a new dictionary-based technique for native myocardial T1 and T2 mapping using Cartesian sampling. Methods: The proposed technique (Multimapping) consisted of single-shot Cartesian image acquisitions in 10 consecutive cardiac cycles, with inversion pulses in cycle 1 and 5, and T2 preparation (TE: 30 ms, 50 ms, and 70 ms) in cycles 8–10. Multimapping was simulated for different T1 and T2, where entries corresponding to the k-space centers were matched to acquired data. Experiments were performed in a phantom, 16 healthy subjects, and 3 patients with cardiovascular disease. Results: Multimapping phantom measurements showed good agreement with reference values for both T1 and T2, with no discernable heart-rate dependency for T1 and T2 within the range of myocardium. In vivo mean T1 in healthy subjects was significantly higher using Multimapping (T1 = 1114 ± 14 ms) compared to the reference (T1 = 991 ± 26 ms) (p < 0.01). Mean Multimapping T2 (47.1 ± 1.3 ms) and T2 spatial variability (5.8 ± 1.0 ms) was significantly lower compared to the reference (T2 = 54.7 ± 2.2 ms, p < 0.001; spatial variability = 8.4 ± 2.0 ms, p < 0.01). Increased T1 and T2 was detected in all patients using Multimapping. Conclusions: Multimapping allows for simultaneous native myocardial T1 and T2 mapping with a conventional Cartesian trajectory, demonstrating promising in vivo image quality and parameter quantification results.