Reproducibility and Repeatability of MR Fingerprinting Relaxometry in the Human Brain

Background Only sparse literature investigates the reproducibility and repeatability of relaxometry methods in MRI. However, statistical data on reproducibility and repeatability of any quantitative method is essential for clinical application. Purpose To evaluate the reproducibility and repeatability of two-dimensional fast imaging with steady-state free precession MR fingerprinting in vivo in human brains. Materials and Methods Two-dimensional section-selective MR fingerprinting based on a steady-state free precession sequence with an external radiofrequency transmit field, or B₁⁺, correction was used to generate T1 and T2 maps. This prospective study was conducted between July 2017 and January 2018 with 10 scanners from a single manufacturer, including different models, at four different sites. T1 and T2 relaxation times and their variation across scanners (reproducibility) as well as across repetitions on a scanner (repeatability) were analyzed. The relative deviations of T1 and T2 to the average (95% confidence interval) were calculated for several brain compartments. Results Ten healthy volunteers (mean age ± standard deviation, 28.5 years ± 6.9; eight men, two women) participated in this study. Reproducibility and repeatability of T1 and T2 measures in the human brain varied across brain compartments (1.8%-20.9%) and were higher in solid tissues than in the cerebrospinal fluid. T1 measures in solid tissue brain compartments were more stable compared with T2 measures. The half-widths of the confidence intervals for relative deviations were 3.4% for mean T1 and 8.0% for mean T2 values across scanners. Intrascanner repeatability half-widths of the confidence intervals for relative deviations were in the range of 2.0%-3.1% for T1 and 3.1%-7.9% for T2. Conclusion This study provides values on reproducibility and repeatability of T1 and T2 relaxometry measured with fast imaging with steady-state free precession MR fingerprinting in brain tissues of healthy volunteers. Reproducibility and repeatability are considerably higher in solid brain compartments than in cerebrospinal fluid and are higher for T1 than for T2. © RSNA, 2019 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Barkhof and Parker in this issue.