Simultaneous DCE-DSC evaluation with 3D stack-of-spiral FLASH readout

Motivation: Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) and dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) are both essential for assessing cerebrovascular function, but their accuracy is often comprised by competing relaxation effects. Goal(s): We aimed to develop a straightforward method enabling simultaneous DCE and DSC evaluation to improve the accuracy of assessment. Approach: Dynamic T1 and T2* mapping was simultaneously achieved using a dual flip angle with multi-echo (DFA-ME) sequence based on efficient 3D stack-of-spiral FLASH readout. Results: DFA-ME demonstrated strong correlation with the reference method for T1 and T2* mapping. Additionally, the permeability and perfusion parameters derived from DFA-ME were consistent with values reported in the previous literature. Impact: DFA-ME enables whole-brain dynamic T1 and T2* mapping at 2.0×2.0×6.0 mm3 spatial resolution and a temporal resolution of 2.1 s, allowing simultaneous and accurate evaluation of DCE and DSC with a single-dose contrast injection.