3D Fat/Water-Separated Liver T1 Mapping: A Study on the Influence of Fat and Repeatability

Motivation: Liver T1 estimation depends on the echo time when fat signal is not eliminated, implying that traditional T1 mapping techniques without considering the presence of fat may lack accuracy and reliability. Goal(s): This study investigated the correlation between liver T1 and fat fraction in 3D free-breathing Fat/Water-Separated T1 mapping and the repeatability of water-specific T1 measurement. Approach: Fifty subjects were recruited and four of them were scanned multiple times to assess the repeatability. Results: Difference between the first echo T1 and water-specific T1 shows strong correlation with the fat fraction, while water-specific T1 shows little correlation. Water-specific T1 mapping is repeatable. Impact: This study aims to investigate the influence of fat on liver T1 in 3D free-breathing T1 mapping. This can help understand how the fat affects liver T1 mapping and facilitate the development new techniques for estimating water-specific liver T1.