Single-click joint bright- and black-blood late gadolinium enhancement and T1-rho mapping for improved myocardial scar imaging

Motivation: Bright-blood sequences are used to retrieve information about cardiac anatomy and function, while black-blood sequences have been exploited for focal scar detection. Moreover, contrast agent-free T1-rho (T1ρ) mapping has shown promise for scar quantification, particularly of diffuse nature. Goal(s): We propose SPOT1ρ, a single-click joint bright-blood, black-blood, and T1ρ mapping sequence providing improved scar localization, detection, and quantification. Approach: The proposed SPOT1ρ was compared to reference sequences in phantom and patients (three myocardial infarctions, one cardiac amyloidosis and one healthy control). Results: Excellent correlation was observed between SPOT1ρ and reference T1ρ values, along with co-registered bright- and black-blood images in phantom and patients. Impact: The proposed single-click SPOT1ρ permits easier and faster planning for MR technicians, more comfort for the patient, promoted by fewer breath-holds, and a simplified interpretation for the radiologists, through co-registered, qualitative, and quantitative images.