Multi-echo phase-based quantitative T2 and T2* mapping - a feasibility study

Motivation: To provide strategies for accurate, and high-fidelity quantitative T2 and T2* quantitative imaging. Goal(s): To study the feasibility of simultaneous quantification of T2 and T2* using gradient-echo readouts at 3T. Approach: We employed a multi-GRE-based acquisition with optimized TR and RF phase increments to estimate T2 and T2* maps from the acquired phase and magnitude images, respectively. We demonstrated the accuracy and feasibility of our methods, both in the ISMRM/NIST phantom and in vivo. Results: Phase-based T2 mapping method can be combined with T2* mapping while increasing the accuracy of the T2 estimation. Impact: This work shows that it is feasible quantify simultaneously T2 and T2* using a single multi-echo GRE acquisition.