What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to evaluate the clinical utility of SPOT-MAPPING for cardiac imaging.

March 19, 2026

Clinical applications of co-registered myocardial T2 mapping and dual bright- and black-blood late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging

Key Result

SPOT-MAPPING reduced cardiac MRI acquisition time by half (5 min 55 s vs. 11 min 56 s) while maintaining strong agreement with reference sequences for scar extraction and T2 mapping.

Key Points

This research aims to evaluate the clinical utility of SPOT-MAPPING for cardiac imaging.
Twenty-six patients with various cardiomyopathies underwent SPOT-MAPPING at 1.5T.
Comparison made between SPOT-MAPPING and conventional PSIR images for LV and scar assessment.
Acquisition times for sequences were recorded to gauge efficiency.
SPOT-MAPPING acquisition time was significantly shorter, averaging just under 6 minutes compared to nearly 12 minutes for conventional methods.
High reproducibility observed for LV mass measurements using reference sequences.
Strong agreement found for scar extraction when compared to PSIR images.

Structured PICO

Does SPOT-MAPPING provide comparable imaging metrics and reduced acquisition time compared to conventional PSIR and T2 mapping in patients with cardiomyopathies?

Population

26 patients with acute, chronic, ischaemic, non-ischaemic, and overlapping cardiomyopathies, mean age 64 ± 12 years, 27% women.

Intervention

SPOT-MAPPING (co-registered T2 mapping and joint black- and bright-blood late gadolinium enhancement imaging) at 1.5T

Comparator

Conventional phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) images and T2 maps

Outcome

Left ventricular (LV) mass, scar mass, burden, transmurality, T2 values, and acquisition timessurrogate

SPOT-MAPPING offers a time-efficient and reproducible alternative to conventional CMR sequences for assessing various cardiomyopathies.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%

Abstract

Abstract Aims Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging has become pivotal in the non-invasive assessment of the heart. Bright-blood sequences are used to retrieve information about cardiac anatomy and function. Concurrently, novel black-blood late gadolinium enhancement sequences have showcased potential for scar detection by uncovering scar patterns that may be confounded with blood. In the acute setting, T2 mapping allows for quantitative characterization of oedematous tissue. Nowadays, these images are acquired sequentially through multiple breath-holds, adding to the workload of medical professionals, reducing patient comfort, and hampering image analysis. Here, we assess the clinical value of SPOT-MAPPING, a sequence combining co-registered T2 mapping and joint black- and bright-blood imaging. Methods and results Twenty-six patients (27% women, age 64 ± 12yo) with acute, chronic, ischaemic, non-ischaemic, and overlapping cardiomyopathies, prospectively underwent SPOT-MAPPING at 1.5T. Conventional PSIR images and T2 maps served as the reference standard. Left ventricular (LV) mass, scar mass, burden, and transmurality and T2 values were retrieved and compared between sequences. Acquisition times were recorded. Acquisition time for SPOT-MAPPING was in average twice shorter than combined reference sequences (5 min 55 s 5 min 14 s–6 min 30 s vs. 11 min 56 s 10 min 39s–12 min 12 s). High reproducibility was obtained with reference sequences for LV mass (ICC ≥ 0.93). Strong agreement was observed with PSIR in scar extraction (mean bias: mass +2.3 g, burden +1.1%LV mass, transmurality +1.4%). No significant difference with reference T2 mapping was observed in remote (P = 1.000) and oedematous myocardium (P = 0.883). Conclusion SPOT-MAPPING demonstrated its efficacy in a wide range of patients, proving itself as a time-efficient and reproducible CMR method for the assessment of various cardiac diseases.

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