Artifacts in cardiac T1 and T2 mapping techniques-Influence on reliable quantification.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Medical Image Analysis
• Quantitative Cardiovascular Imaging

Background:

• Cardiac T1 and T2 mapping are established quantitative MRI techniques for assessing myocardial tissue characteristics.
• These mapping techniques are vital for diagnosing cardiac pathologies and guiding treatment decisions.
• Artifacts in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can mimic pathologies, confounding quantitative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of artifacts encountered in cardiac T1 and T2 mapping.
• To explain the origins of these artifacts in cardiac parametric mapping.
• To raise awareness of artifact impact on clinical decision-making and AI-driven analysis.

Main Methods:

• Review of common artifacts in cardiac T1 and T2 mapping sequences.
• Explanation of artifact sources including patient motion, hardware limitations, and processing errors.
• Discussion of unique challenges in cardiac parametric mapping artifact identification.

Main Results:

• Identified various artifacts that can affect cardiac T1 and T2 mapping accuracy.
• Detailed the common origins of these artifacts within the cardiac imaging context.
• Highlighted the potential for misinterpretation of artifacts in quantitative assessments.

Conclusions:

• Artifacts pose a significant challenge to the reliability of quantitative cardiac T1 and T2 mapping.
• Awareness and understanding of artifact sources are essential for clinicians and researchers.
• Future research should focus on developing artifact-mitigation strategies and fostering collaboration between scientists and clinicians.