Abstract #2686

In vivo Breast T1 Mapping at Ultra-Low Field (6.5 mT): Variable Flip Angle Method

Sheng Shen^1,2, Neha Koonjoo^1,2, Mansi A. Saksena³, Stephen E. Ogier^4,5, Thomas Boele^1,6, Kathryn E. Keenan⁴, and Matthew Rosen^1,2,7

¹MGH/A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, United States, ²Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ³Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Boston, MA, United States, ⁴National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, United States, ⁵University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States, ⁶University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, ⁷Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Quantitative Imaging, Breast

Motivation: The fractional T1 differences between healthy and abnormal tissue are significant larger in the ultra-low-field (ULF) regime (<10 mT) compared to high field.

Goal(s): Despite the challenges of imaging at ULF (predominately low SNR and spatial-temporal resolution), we demonstrate in vivo T1 mapping in the breast at 6.5 mT in 43 minutes.

Approach: A variable flip angle (VFA) method with B1 correction was used.

Results: T1 mapping of CuSO₄ solutions showed an average T1 deviation <7% compared to reference T1 measurements. Breast phantom T1 mapping was also performed. Finally, this method was applied on two healthy female volunteers.

Impact: This work explores ultra-low field T1 mapping as potential biomarker for low-cost breast imaging. We demonstrate the feasibility of quantitative T1 mapping of the human breast in healthy female volunteers at 6.5 mT using a variable flip angle method.

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