APT MRI scans are often performed under non-equilibrium conditions, confounding imaging quantification and tissue characterization. This study proposed a quasi-steady-state (QUASS) algorithm for fast and accurate tumor APT imaging. Seven healthy volunteers and nineteen tumor patients were scanned at 3T, with two representative RF saturation times (Ts) and relaxation delays (Td). The routine APT measures significantly varied with Ts and Td (P<.001) and were significantly smaller than the corresponding QUASS indices (P<.001). In contrast, QUASS reconstruction results showed little dependence on scan protocols (P>.05). The QUASS algorithm enables robust APT imaging, promising to expedite and standardize clinical APT tumor MRI.
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