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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Multicenter MRI Protocol for the Evaluation and Quantification of Deep Vein Thrombosis
Published on: June 2, 2015
3D T(1)-mapping for the characterization of deep vein thrombosis
Ulrike Blume1, James Orbell, Matthew Waltham
1Division of Imaging Sciences, The Rayne Institute, King's College London, St Thomas Hospital, 4th Floor Lambeth Wing, London SE1 7EH, UK. Ulrike.blume@kcl.ac.uk
Purpose:
The aim of this work was to investigate fast T (1)-mapping for the characterization of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Methods:
The accuracy and reproducibility of the T (1)-mapping sequence was tested in phantoms and in 8 healthy volunteers on a 1.5 T clinical scanner using a 32-channel array coil. Furthermore, the feasibility of the technique was tested in 5 patients diagnosed with DVT by measuring the volume and T (1) values of the thrombus at 5 time points over a period of 6 months.
Results:
The results of the phantom and volunteer study showed a high accuracy and reproducibility for the quantification of T (1). The resolution of the T (1)-maps was high enough to identify small anatomical structures. T (1) values derived for normal blood and various other tissues were comparable to those reported in the literature. In all patients, the T (1) times of thrombi showed decreased values (T (1) = 843 +/- 91 ms) in the acute phase and recovered back to normal values of blood (T (1) = 1,317 +/- 36 ms) after 6 months.
Conclusions:
Measurement of all relevant T (1) values of acute thrombi and normal blood achieved accurate and reproducible results in vivo. Fast T (1) quantification of the thrombus can provide information about tissue characteristics such as thrombus resolution. Such a quantitative MRI technique may be valuable in studying the factors that influence natural resolution and in evaluating treatment effects that enhance this process.
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