Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
15:48
Tracking the Mammary Architectural Features and Detecting Breast Cancer with Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: December 15, 2014
Free-breathing 3D pancreatic water T1 mapping using radial sampling technique: comparison with conventional 2D
Shingo Omata1, Yoshifumi Noda2, Akio Ito1
1Department of Radiology, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
|August 1, 2026
Summary
The free-breathing three-dimensional (3D) radial 6-point DIXON Look-Locker (3D-LL) technique offers improved pancreatic measurability compared to conventional breath-hold two-dimensional Look-Locker (2D-LL) T1 mapping. This advancement enhances clinical feasibility by overcoming motion-related measurement failures.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Pancreatic Diseases
Background:
- Pancreatic T1 mapping is crucial for assessing tissue characteristics.
- Conventional breath-hold techniques can be limited by patient cooperation and motion artifacts.
- Developing free-breathing methods is essential for improving pancreatic imaging feasibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the clinical feasibility and measurement performance of free-breathing 3D radial 6-point DIXON Look-Locker (3D-LL) T1 mapping with conventional breath-hold 2D Look-Locker (2D-LL) T1 mapping.
- To evaluate the accuracy and agreement of both techniques in pancreatic water T1 quantification.
Main Methods:
- Phantom studies using organ-equivalent and gadolinium dilution phantoms were performed with inversion recovery (IR), 2D-LL, and 3D-LL techniques.
- Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analyses assessed accuracy and agreement.
- A prospective clinical study included 45 participants undergoing both breath-hold 2D-LL and free-breathing 3D-LL pancreatic T1 mapping.
- T1 values were measured in pancreatic regions and compared between techniques.
Main Results:
- Phantom experiments showed strong correlations with IR for both 2D-LL (r=0.9998) and 3D-LL (r=0.9993).
- A small positive bias of 3D-LL over 2D-LL was observed (+15.1 ms).
- The free-breathing 3D-LL technique eliminated coverage- or motion-related regional failures seen in 13% of participants with 2D-LL.
- No significant differences in median T1 values were found between the two techniques across pancreatic regions.
Conclusions:
- The 3D-LL technique provides accurate T1 quantification, comparable to IR and 2D-LL in phantoms.
- Clinically, the 3D-LL technique significantly improves pancreatic measurability by avoiding regions unsuitable for T1 measurement due to coverage or motion.
- Free-breathing 3D-LL represents a more robust and feasible approach for pancreatic T1 mapping.
