How Accurate Is MOLLI T1 Mapping In Vivo? Validation by Spin Echo Methods

作者：Cooper Mitchell A^*; Nguyen Thanh D; Spincemaille Pascal; Prince Martin R; Weinsaft Jonathan W; Wang Yi

来源：PLos One, 2014, 9(9): e107327.

DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0107327

T-1 mapping is a promising quantitative tool for assessing diffuse cardiomyopathies. The purpose of this study is to quantify in vivo accuracy of the Modified Look-Locker Inversion Recovery (MOLLI) cardiac T-1 mapping sequence against the spin echo gold standard, which has not been done previously. T-1 accuracy of MOLLI was determined by comparing with the gold standard inversion recovery spin echo sequence in the calf muscle, and with a rapid inversion recovery fast spin echo sequence in the heart. T-1 values were obtained with both conventional MOLLI fitting and MOLLI fitting with inversion efficiency correction. In the calf (n = 6), conventional MOLLI fitting produced inconsistent T-1 values with error ranging from 8.0% at 90 degrees to 17.3% at 30 degrees. Modified MOLLI fitting with inversion efficiency correction improved error to under 7.4% at all flip angles. In the heart (n = 5), modified MOLLI fitting with inversion correction reduced T-1 error to 5.5% from 14.0% by conventional MOLLI fitting. This study shows that conventional MOLLI fitting can lead to significant in vivo T-1 errors when not accounting for the lower adiabatic inversion efficiency often experienced in vivo.

• 出版日期2014-9-11