Improved T1 and T2 Accuracy for Cardiac MR Fingerprinting Sequences by Including Detailed Modeling of Slice Profile, B1, Inversions, and T2 Preparation Pulses

Because different cMRF pulse sequences may have different sensitivities to confounding factors, the generation of accurate and precise T1 and T2 maps may require detailed modeling of spin dynamics. This work studies the importance of modeling slice profile, B1, and relaxation during adiabatic inversion and T2 preparation pulses in cMRF. The ISMRM/NIST system phantom was scanned using cMRF sequences with different patterns of flip angles, TRs, and preparation pulses. Modeling these additional effects leads to higher correlation (using linear regression and concordance correlation coefficients) between NIST and cMRF measurements and better consistency between different cMRF sequences.