Hybrid Multi-Echo Radial Look-Locker (hME-rLL) Acquisition for Joint Estimation of water-T1, PDFF, and R2*

Motivation: Reducing the time required to achieve comprehensive liver evaluation will improve scanning efficiency and increase access to non-invasive diagnostic toolsGoal(s): To develop an acquisition protocol which allows accurate estimation of water-only T1 ($$$T1w$$$), PDFF, and R2*Approach: Combing dual-echo and extended-echo (>2) readout into a single acquisition, using the extended-echo acquisition to estimate the field-map, R2*, and PDFF. Then using the R2* and field maps to perform fat/water decomposition on the dual-echo acquisition for $$$T1w$$$ estimation. Results: Both phantom and in vivo results demonstrated that $$$T1w$$$, R2*, and PDFF can be accurately estimated using the proposed approach. Impact: Increasing the efficiency of MRI sequence and protocols allows for reduced scan time and improved scanner efficiency. These contributions make the diagnostic process easier for patients and physicians, which should result in improved healthcare.