True T1 Mapping with SMART1Map: A Comparison with MOLLI

Glenn S. Slavin¹, Jeffrey A. Stainsby²

Look-Locker-based cardiac T1 mapping methods such as MOLLI only measure apparent T1. Correction methods are therefore necessary to estimate true T1. SMART₁Map is a new technique that uses multiple single-point measurements in conjunction with long recovery times and real-time cardiac cycle timing to directly measure true T1, without the need for correction. This work compared the accuracy of SMART₁Map and MOLLI against IR spin-echo in phantom experiments under several imaging conditions. Whereas MOLLI showed significant dependence on T1, heart rate, and data acquisition window duration, SMART₁Map was insensitive to these parameters and yielded consistently accurate T1 measurements in all cases.