Alternating low-rank tensor reconstruction for improved multiparametric mapping with cardiovascular MR Multitasking

To develop a novel low-rank tensor reconstruction approach leveraging the complete acquired data set to improve precision and repeatability of multiparametric mapping within the cardiovascular MR Multitasking framework.

A novel approach that alternated between estimation of temporal components and spatial components using the entire data set acquired (i.e., including navigator data and imaging data) was developed to improve reconstruction. The precision and repeatability of the proposed approach were evaluated on numerical simulations, 10 healthy subjects, and 10 cardiomyopathy patients at multiple scan times for 2D myocardial T₁/T₂ mapping with MR Multitasking and were compared with those of the previous navigator-derived fixed-basis approach.

In numerical simulations, the proposed approach outperformed the previous fixed-basis approach with lower T₁ and T₂ error against the ground truth at all scan times studied and showed better motion fidelity. In human subjects, the proposed approach showed no significantly different sharpness or T₁/T₂ measurement and significantly improved T₁ precision by 20%-25%, T₂ precision by 10%-15%, T₁ repeatability by about 30%, and T₂ repeatability by 25%-35% at 90-s and 50-s scan times The proposed approach at the 50-s scan time also showed comparable results with that of the previous fixed-basis approach at the 90-s scan time.

The proposed approach improved precision and repeatability for quantitative imaging with MR Multitasking while maintaining comparable motion fidelity, T₁/T₂ measurement, and septum sharpness and had the potential for further reducing scan time from 90 s to 50 s.