Rapid high-resolution volumetric T1 mapping using a highly accelerated stack-of-stars Look Locker technique

Zhitao Li; Zhiyang Fu; Mahesh Keerthivasan; Ali Bilgin; Kevin Johnson; Jean-Philippe Galons; Srinivasan Vedantham; Diego R Martin; Maria I Altbach

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2021.03.003

Rapid high-resolution volumetric T₁ mapping using a highly accelerated stack-of-stars Look Locker technique

Magn Reson Imaging. 2021 Jun:79:28-37. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2021.03.003. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Authors

Zhitao Li¹, Zhiyang Fu¹, Mahesh Keerthivasan², Ali Bilgin³, Kevin Johnson⁴, Jean-Philippe Galons⁴, Srinivasan Vedantham⁴, Diego R Martin⁴, Maria I Altbach⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
² Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Siemens Healthcare USA, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
³ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
⁴ Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
⁵ Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Electronic address: maltbach@email.arizona.edu.

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a fast volumetric T₁ mapping technique.

Materials and methods: A stack-of-stars (SOS) Look Locker technique based on the acquisition of undersampled radial data (>30× relative to Nyquist) and an efficient multi-slab excitation scheme is presented. A principal-component based reconstruction is used to reconstruct T₁ maps. Computer simulations were performed to determine the best choice of partitions per slab and degree of undersampling. The technique was validated in phantoms against reference T₁ values measured with a 2D Cartesian inversion-recovery spin-echo technique. The SOS Look Locker technique was tested in brain (n = 4) and prostate (n = 5). Brain T₁ mapping was carried out with and without k_z acceleration and results between the two approaches were compared. Prostate T₁ mapping was compared to standard techniques. A reproducibility study was conducted in brain and prostate. Statistical analyses were performed using linear regression and Bland Altman analysis.

Results: Phantom T₁ values showed excellent correlations between SOS Look Locker and the inversion-recovery spin-echo reference (r² = 0.9965; p < 0.0001) and between SOS Look Locker with slab-selective and non-slab selective inversion pulses (r² = 0.9999; p < 0.0001). In vivo results showed that full brain T₁ mapping (1 mm³) with k_z acceleration is achieved in 4 min 21 s. Full prostate T₁ mapping (0.9 × 0.9 × 4 mm³) is achieved in 2 min 43 s. T₁ values for brain and prostate were in agreement with literature values. A reproducibility study showed coefficients of variation in the range of 0.18-0.2% (brain) and 0.15-0.18% (prostate).

Conclusion: A rapid volumetric T₁ mapping technique was developed. The technique enables high-resolution T₁ mapping with adequate anatomical coverage in a clinically acceptable time.

Keywords: 3D radial MRI; Look-Locker method; Model-based; T(1); T(1) mapping.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Brain* / diagnostic imaging
Computer Simulation
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Male
Phantoms, Imaging
Reproducibility of Results

Grants and funding

R01 CA245920/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States