Simultaneous liver T₁, T₂, and ADC MR fingerprinting using optimized motion-compensated diffusion preparations: An...

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Medical Physics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate quantification of liver tissue properties is crucial for diagnosing and staging hepatic diseases.
• Conventional multiparametric mapping techniques often require multiple scans, increasing acquisition time and potential for patient motion.
• MR fingerprinting offers a promising approach for rapid tissue characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel MR fingerprinting (MRF) sequence for simultaneous quantification of T1, T2, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in liver tissue.
• To achieve this quantification within a single, short, breath-held scan using optimized motion-compensated diffusion preparations.
• To enable comprehensive, co-registered multiparametric imaging for improved liver disease evaluation.

Main Methods:

• A radial spoiled gradient echo acquisition sequence was designed with integrated T1, T2, and ADC encoding modules.
• Motion compensation strategies, including breath-holding, peripheral pulse triggering, and optimized diffusion preparation, were employed to mitigate signal voids and artifacts.
• Phantom experiments validated accuracy, followed by in vivo evaluation in healthy subjects against conventional mapping and repeatability assessments.

Main Results:

• The developed MRF sequence demonstrated high accuracy and good correlation (r² > 0.9) with reference measurements in phantoms.
• In vivo results showed good agreement with conventional mapping techniques, with no significant bias.
• Repeatability assessments confirmed low interscan coefficients of variation and high intraclass correlation coefficients (> 0.9).

Conclusions:

• A novel MR fingerprinting sequence enables simultaneous T1, T2, and ADC quantification of liver tissue in approximately 16 seconds.
• This approach facilitates comprehensive, co-registered multiparametric imaging for hepatic disease evaluation.
• Further investigation in patients with diffuse liver disease is warranted to assess its potential for tissue characterization and tumor staging.