Native T1 and T2 reference values for maltese healthy cohort

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is vital for diagnosing heart conditions.
• Parametric mapping offers quantitative myocardial characterization via T1 and T2 values.
• Lack of standardized reference values across vendors hinders clinical use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish local reference ranges for native T1 and T2 values in a healthy Maltese cohort.
• To facilitate the implementation of a local parametric mapping service.
• To aid in the diagnosis and management of myocardial diseases.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 51 healthy subjects (age 19-59) with normal CMR findings.
• Utilized MOLLI 5b(3b)3b for T1 mapping and FLASH for T2 mapping on a 3T Siemens scanner.
• Measured values in the interventricular septum at the midventricular level; assessed intra/inter-observer variability.

Main Results:

• Established mean native T1 values of 1200.1 ± 30.7 ms and T2 values of 39.5 ± 1.8 ms.
• Demonstrated no significant bias in repeated measurements.
• Provided reference ranges using mean ± 1.96 SD.

Conclusions:

• First establishment of native T1 and T2 parametric mapping reference values for healthy Caucasian Maltese individuals.
• The established ranges will support local cardiologists in diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and assessing treatment response.
• Aims to improve the clinical implementation of CMR parametric mapping in Malta.