Motivation: Quantitative abdominal mapping typically requires multiple scans across multiple breath-holds, with each scan providing limited anatomic coverage. Goal(s): To evaluate the effectiveness of a rapid free-breathing whole-abdomen multiple-inversion spin-and-gradient-echo (MI-SAGE) scan for simultaneous T1, T2, and T2* mapping of various abdominal organs. Approach: In 19 participants with and without liver disease, T1, T2, and T2* values obtained using MI-SAGE were compared to conventional mapping techniques and published values for various abdominal organs. Results: T1, T2, and T2* estimates from MI-SAGE for multiple abdominal organs were consistent with literature, and liver and muscle values agreed with values obtained from conventional techniques. Impact: This study demonstrates that a single one-minute, free-breathing MI-SAGE scan can achieve T1, T2, and T2* estimates across abdominal organs, comparable to published values and consistent with liver and muscle values from conventional mapping techniques from multiple breath-hold scans.
Manhard et al. (Tue,) studied this question.