Cardiac MRF for Simultaneous T1, T2 and Fat-Fraction Quantification at 0.55T

Motivation: Cardiac MRF is a powerful imaging-technique that allows for comprehensive myocardial tissue characterization in a single-scan and has been proposed at 1.5T and 3T. However, cMRF has not been demonstrated at lower-field yet. Goal(s): Investigate the feasibility of a Dixon-cMRF sequence for simultaneous T1, T2 and fat-fraction quantification at 0.55T. Approach: Dual-echo spoiled-GRE-acquisition with varying IR-T2-preparation pulses. Experiments were performed on standardized phantoms and with 5 healthy volunteers and compared with spin-echo references. Results: T1, T2 and fat-fraction Dixon-cMRF at 0.55T was tested with phantoms and with healthy subjects, showing good agreement with reference values in phantom and promising results in healthy subjects. Impact: The simultaneous quantification of T1, T2 and fat-fraction at 0.55T in a single cardiac-MRF of 15s could provide an alternative to higher field scanners, allowing for a more accessible way to assess cardiovascular disease.