Abstract #3123

Does T2' Depend on the Measurement Method? Considerations for Quantitative BOLD Oxygenation

Wendy W. Ni¹,², Thomas Christen¹, Zungho Zun¹, Greg Zaharchuk¹

¹Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States; ²Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States

In this study, we compare the measurement of reversible contribution R2'=1/T2' of the transverse relaxation rate using nine methods characterized by three approaches: asymmetric spin echo (ASE), Gradient-Echo Sampling of FID and Echo (GESFIDE), and combined (COMBO). We found that the mean value, spatial SNR and inter-subject variation of resulting R2' maps differed significantly between methods, highlighting the importance of making a careful choice in R2' measurement method for quantitative BOLD (qBOLD) oxygenation measurements.