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Abstract #4453

On the T1 of Fat Calculated from a Segmented Look Locker Scout Scan & Its Implications in Cardiac Imaging

Neville D. Gai1, Christian Stehning2, Saman Nazarian3, Evrim Turkbey1, David A. Bluemke1,4

1Radiology & Imaging Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; 2Philips Research Europe, Hamburg, Germany; 3Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States; 4NIBIB, Bethesda, MD, United States


T1 mapping can differentiate between diffuse fibrosis and normal myocardium. Several longitudinal cardiac studies do not have a dedicated T1 mapping scan as part of the protocol. However, segmented Look-Locker (LL) with b-SSFP is typically used as a scout scan. T1 values may then be derived from such a scan. Certain diseases exhibit fatty infiltration as part of their etiology. Based on simulations and scanning, we show that fat T1 quantification so obtained can be highly erroneous based on the scan parameters used. Therefore, conclusions based on observed cardiac T1 values in cases where fatty infiltration is substantial might be fraught with complications.