Myocardial T1 measurement: comparison of modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) and TI scout in the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Abstract

Summary Different cardiac MR acquisition sequences have been used to obtain myocardial T1 values. Among which available techniques, MOdified Look-Locker Inversionrecovery (MOLLI) and inversion-recovery TrueFisp (TI scout) sequences are widely used in research and clinical settings. We compared myocardial T1 values derived from both MOLLI and TI scout techniques in the post gadolinium delayed enhancement experiments in a large-scale multicenter study (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, MESA). Our results indicated that myocardial T1 measurement using MOLLI is reproducible with TI scout. Background Different cardiac MR sequences have been used to obtain myocardial T1 values. The multipoint approach, as first described by Look and Locker (TI scout), has been widely used for estimation of the optimal TI in the assessment of myocardial delayed enhancement (DE). The other technique, MOdified Look-Locker Inversionrecovery (MOLLI) allows a rapid and highly reproducible T1 mapping of the heart with high levels of intra and inter-observer agreement. Even though each technique claims its own merit and reliability, the post-contrast myocardial T1 value is confounded by various factors that inhibit comparison of myocardial T1 between patients. In this work, we compared myocardial T1 values derived from both MOLLI and TI scout