R2* Estimation in the Presence of Fat & Macroscopic B0 Field Variations

Diego Hernando¹, Catherine D. G. Hines¹, Scott B. Reeder^1,2

Quantitative, non-invasive estimation of R2* is an important biomarker of hepatic iron overload. Unfortunately, estimates of R2* may be confounded by the presence of fat, as well as the signal dephasing that occurs from macroscopic magnetic field gradients caused by external susceptibility. In this work, we propose a method that uses the complex signal for estimation of R2*, correcting for the presence of fat and macroscopic field variations. Phantom and liver imaging results are shown to illustrate the proposed method.