Abstract #4485

Simultaneous Quantification of the Arterial Input Function & Myocardial T1 in Small Animals using Saturation Recovery Look-Locker

Wen Li¹, Bernadette Erowku², Chris Flask^2,3, Mark Griswold^1,3, Xin Yu^1,3

¹Biomedical Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; ²Case Center for Imaging Research; ³Radiology Department

An ECG-triggered saturation recovery Look-Locker (SRLL) method was developed for quantification of arterial input function and contrast agent in heart by fast T1 mapping of the left ventricular blood and myocardium in small animals. Validation study was performed in a two-dose manganese-enhanced MRI experiment. A good correlation was observed between the T1 changes measured by SRLL and the absolute Mn2+ concentration changes measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. These results suggest that SRLL can provide simultaneous quantification of the arterial input function and myocardial T1 in mouse at high temporal resolution (<3 min).