Comparing accelerated and conventional methods for brain T2 mapping: a quantitative NIST/ISMRM phantom study.

Motivation: Quantitative T2 is a biomarker of neuropathology but reliable measurement methods can be too slow for clinical use. Goal(s): Identify fast and reliable methods for clinical brain T2 mapping. Approach: Compare promising accelerated T2 mapping methods (GRAPPATINI and Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF)) with conventional Dual-Echo Turbo Spin-Echo (DE-TSE) and Multi-Echo Spin-Echo (MESE) approaches. Where possible, spatial resolution and field of view was matched across the methods. However, MRF was limited to relatively large voxels. Results: GRAPPATINI and MRF achieved reliable T2 measurements in reduced scan times compared to MESE. DE-TSE was faster but inaccurate. Impact: Characterising rapid brain T2 mapping methods towards evaluating their clinical feasibility and potential to increase sensitivity to pathology compared to current clinical practice. This would aid patient-specific treatment by identifying subtle pathology and informing intervention decision-making.