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Abstract #2603

Whole Liver T1,T2, and T2* Relaxation Mapping Using Echo Planar Imaging

Caroline L. Hoad1, Alexander G. Gardener1, Ji-Young Lim1, Carolyn Costigan2, Robin C. Spiller3, Penny A. Gowland1, Luca Marciani3, Guru P. Aithal3, Susan T. Francis1

1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 2Brain and Body Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 3Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom


T1, T2 and T2* relaxation maps of the whole liver of chronic liver disease patients were generated using respiratory triggered IR-SE-EPI, SE-EPI and GE-EPI datasets respectively. These maps were used to generate voxel-by-voxel histograms of the liver tissue, the central peak data of the histogram being predominately from bulk tissue (excluding vessels). This method of analysis provided a robust result, with minimal variation in the peak data when the shape of the mask was altered. A significant spread in measured peak relaxation times is found in patients with chronic liver disease.