Improved Saturation Recovery-based Water-Specific T1 (T1W) Mapping

Motivation: T1 mapping is a promising biomarker of various chronic diseases, yet existing methods of T1 mapping suffer from high variability. Goal(s): Improve the overall performance of water-specific T1 (T1W) estimation with a rapid sequence for feasible implementation in body applications. Approach: Design and implement a multi-echo chemical shift-encoded MRI sequence with an optimized preparation pulse, optimized flip angle-modulation readout scheme, centric encoding, and joint parameter estimation to improve the performance of T1W estimation. Results: We successfully implemented the proposed sequence on an MRI system and demonstrated its feasibility for T1W mapping in the body. Impact: The proposed approach to chemical shift-encoded T1 mapping improves the overall performance of T1W estimation in the presence of confounding factors. By showing robustness to confounding factors, this helps improve T1 mapping as a clinically viable diagnostic tool.