Evaluating 3D-EPI and FLASH-based multi-parameter mapping in temporal lobe epilepsy: a traveling head study

Motivation: Drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) can benefit from quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) such as multi-parameter mapping (MPM) for improved identification of epileptogenic regions. Traditional MPM protocols are often too time-consuming for clinical use. Goal(s): This study evaluates the reproducibility of time-efficient 3D-EPI MPM sequences against traditional FLASH to assess their clinical applicability in TLE. Approach: Four subjects were scanned across five 3T MRI sites with both 3D-EPI and FLASH. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted for comparison. Results: 3D-EPI MPM demonstrated similar reproducibility to FLASH, suggesting it could be a faster alternative for MPM imaging in clinical TLE. Impact: We demonstrate the potential of using 3D-EPI for efficient MPM acquisition for characterising regional differences in epileptogenic regions. However, it´s unclear whether our results translate to detecting subtle abnormalities in clinical application due to, e.g. reduced spatial resolution of 3D-EPI.