Commentary: T1 Mapping from routine 3D T1-weighted inversion recovery sequences in clinical practice: comparison against reference inversion recovery fast field echo T1 scans and feasibility in multiple sclerosis

MRI has long been a critical tool for diagnosing and monitoring Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Conventional MRI employed in clinical practice is non-parametric, which disallows quantitative measures of tissue damage. This creates an unmet need to develop a post-acquisition image processing algorithm that can convert a qualitative image into a corresponding quantitative map. We present a methodology that can convert a clinically routine T1-weighted MPRAGE image into a parametric T1 map with high accuracy and precision in relation to a commonly used T1 mapping reference standard. We evaluate the methodology’s performance in Multiple Sclerosis for the purpose of quantifying tissue damage primarily in lesions and secondarily in white matter and gray matter regions.