High‐resolution <i>T</i>₁ and <i>T</i>₂ mapping of the brain in a clinically acceptable time with DESPOT1 and DESPOT2

TLDR

Variations in intrinsic T1 and T2 relaxation times are implicated in many neurologic conditions, yet conventional mapping suffers from low resolution and long acquisition times that limit clinical use. The study investigates the clinical applicability of DESPOT1 and DESPOT2 for high‑resolution, whole‑brain T1 and T2 mapping. The authors acquired 1‑mm isotropic whole‑brain T1 and T2 maps in six volunteers at 1.5 T in under 17 min each, and 0.34‑mm maps in one volunteer in under 21 min, achieving SNR of ~20 and ~14 and repeatability SDs of 46.7 ms and 6.7 ms. These results demonstrate the clinical feasibility of DESPOT1 and DESPOT2 for high‑resolution brain T1 and T2 mapping. Published in Magn Reson Med 53:237–241 (2005); © 2004 Wiley‑Liss, Inc.

Abstract

Abstract Variations in the intrinsic T 1 and T 2 relaxation times have been implicated in numerous neurologic conditions. Unfortunately, the low resolution and long imaging time associated with conventional methods have prevented T 1 and T 2 mapping from becoming part of routine clinical evaluation. In this study, the clinical applicability of the DESPOT1 and DESPOT2 imaging methods for high‐resolution, whole‐brain, T 1 and T 2 mapping was investigated. In vivo, 1‐mm 3 isotropic whole‐brain T 1 and T 2 maps of six healthy volunteers were acquired at 1.5 T with an imaging time of &lt;17 min each. Isotropic maps (0.34 mm 3 ) of one volunteer were also acquired (time &lt;21 min). Average signal‐to‐noise within the 1‐mm 3 T 1 and T 2 maps was ∼20 and ∼14, respectively, with average repeatability standard deviations of 46.7 ms and 6.7 ms. These results demonstrate the clinical feasibility of the methods in the study of neurologic disease. Magn Reson Med 53:237–241, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.