Motivation: Myelin proton fraction (MPF) and myelin water fraction (MWF) measured with short-TR adiabatic inversion-recovery (STAIR) sequences are potential biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases, but their repeatabilities are unknown. Goal(s): We aim to evaluate the repeatability of MPF and MWF measured with the STAIR ultrashort echo time (STAIR-UTE) and STAIR short echo time (STAIR-STE) sequences, respectively. Approach: Ten volunteers were scanned three times on different days using the same protocol, including 3D STAIR-UTE for myelin mapping and STAIR-STE for myelin water mapping on the same 3T clinical scanner. Results: Strong repeatability and agreement were demonstrated between repeated MPF and MWF measurements on each subject's scans. Impact: Strong repeatability was demonstrated for two myelin imaging biomarkers, MPF and MWF, highlighting the utility of STAIR sequences for reliable myelin mapping and potential applications in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Lo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.