Quantitative Myelin Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis Using Multi-Inversion Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

Motivation: Myelin water imaging is a potential tool for observing demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS). Goal(s): Using a rapid multiple inversion recovery (mIR) magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) with multiple compartment analysis identified white matter (WM) lesions and evaluated the severity of demyelination by calculating the MWF in WM. Approach: This is a prospective study. Myelin water fraction (MWF) from mIR-MRF of WM in healthy control (HC), normal appear WM in MS patient, and WM lesion in MS patient were calculated. Results: The sensitivity of MWF map on identifying WM lesions was 100%. MWF was statistical difference between MS patient and HC. Impact: The myelin water fraction map achieved from mIR MRF was comparable to FLAIR and MPRAGE in identifying white matter lesions with 100% sensitivity and provided additional insights into the demyelination process of MS.