Motion-Robust T1/T2 Mapping of the Abdomen using Pilot-Tone Navigation

Motivation: T1/T2 mapping in the abdomen shows promise for early tissue characterization, but standardization remains challenging due to respiratory motion. Goal(s): To develop a motion-robust, high-resolution T1/T2 mapping technique for renal imaging to address the limitations of current quantitative renal MRI methods. Approach: We tailored the 3D-QALAS sequence for abdominal imaging and integrated pilot-tone navigation for retrospective motion correction. The technique was tested in vivo, comparing results with and without motion correction. Results: The proposed method successfully generated high-resolution T1/T2 maps of the kidneys without breath-holding. Motion correction improved image quality and reduced variability in T1 and T2 measurements in the kidney. Impact: We introduce a motion-robust technique for high-resolution T1/T2 mapping of the kidneys using 3D-QALAS with pilot-tone-navigation. By overcoming respiratory motion challenges, this method could improve the accuracy and clinical applicability of quantitative renal MRI, enabling earlier detection of kidney diseases.