Cross-vendor multiparametric mapping of the human brain using 3D-QALAS: A multicenter and multivendor study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate a vendor-agnostic multiparametric mapping scheme based on 3D quantification using an interleaved Look-Locker acquisition sequence with a T2 preparation pulse (3D-QALAS) for whole-brain T1, T2, and proton density (PD) mapping.

Methods: This prospective, multi-institutional study was conducted between September 2021 and February 2022 using five different 3T systems from four prominent MRI vendors. The accuracy of this technique was evaluated using a standardized MRI system phantom. Intra-scanner repeatability and inter-vendor reproducibility of T1, T2, and PD values were evaluated in 10 healthy volunteers (6 men; mean age ± SD, 28.0 ± 5.6 y) who underwent scan-rescan sessions on each scanner (total scans = 100). To evaluate the feasibility of 3D-QALAS, nine patients with multiple sclerosis (nine women; mean age ± SD, 48.2 ± 11.5 y) underwent imaging examination on two 3T MRI systems from different manufacturers.

Results: Quantitative maps obtained with 3D-QALAS showed high linearity (R² = 0.998 and 0.998 for T1 and T2, respectively) with respect to reference measurements. The mean intra-scanner coefficients of variation for each scanner and structure ranged from 0.4% to 2.6%. The mean structure-wise test-retest repeatabilities were 1.6%, 1.1%, and 0.7% for T1, T2, and PD, respectively. Overall, high inter-vendor reproducibility was observed for all parameter maps and all structure measurements, including white matter lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Conclusion: The vendor-agnostic multiparametric mapping technique 3D-QALAS provided reproducible measurements of T1, T2, and PD for human tissues within a typical physiological range using 3T scanners from four different MRI manufacturers.

Keywords: cross-vendor technique; data pooling; multiparametric mapping; quantitative magnetic resonance imaging; relaxation time; relaxometry.