Multiple 3D inversion recovery imaging for volume T1 mapping of the heart

In this article, a three-dimensional inversion recovery sequence was optimized with the aim of generating in vivo volume T1 maps of the heart using a 1.5-T MR system. Acquisitions were performed before and after gadolinium diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) administration in one patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in two healthy volunteers. Data were acquired with a multishot fast field echo readout using both ECG and respiratory triggers. A dedicated phantom, composed of four solutions with different T1 values, was positioned on the subjects' thoracic region to perform patient-specific calibration. Pixel based T1 maps were calculated with a custom Matlab® code. Phantom measurements showed a good accuracy of the technique and in vivo T1 estimation of liver, skeletal muscle, myocardium, and blood resulted in good agreement with values reported in the literature. Multiple three-dimensional inversion recovery technique is a feasible and accurate method to perform T1 volume mapping. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.