Cross‐Vendor Validation of Proton Density Fat Fraction and T 1 Mapping Using a Combined Proton Density Fat Fraction— T1 Phantom

ABSTRACT Background In chronic liver disease, fat and fibroinflammatory changes often coexist. However, their biomarkers, proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and T 1 , are typically assessed separately. Their reproducibility under mutual confounding remains unclear. Purpose To assess multicenter, multi‐vendor reproducibility of confounder‐corrected chemical shift‐encoded (CSE)‐MRI‐based PDFF mapping and MOLLI‐based T 1 mapping using a combined PDFF‐T 1 phantom. Study Type Prospective phantom study. Phantom Commercial PDFF‐T 1 Phantom (Model 725) with varying PDFF (0%–30%) and T 1 (200–1400 ms) values. Field Strength/Sequence 1.5 T and 3 T multi‐echo, three‐dimensional spoiled‐gradient‐echo (SGRE) sequence for PDFF mapping, and MOLLI sequence (5(3)3 acquisition scheme) using two‐dimensional SGRE readouts for T 1 mapping across four centers and vendors. Assessment PDFF and T 1 maps were acquired using standardized protocols. PDFF maps were reconstructed locally, while T 1 maps were generated using a centralized algorithm. All maps were quantitatively analyzed by a single radiologist using standardized region‐of‐interest placement. Phantom temporal stability was assessed at one center across five sessions over 9 months (baseline, retest, 1 week, 6 and 9 months). Statistical Tests Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), reproducibility coefficients (RDC), and linear regression analysis were used. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results PDFF showed overall excellent reproducibility (ICC = 0.987, RDC = 3.7%), with increased variability at higher T 1 values (RDC up to 7.9% at T 1 = 1400 ms). T 1 mapping showed good reproducibility in the absence of fat (RDC 16–161 ms at PDFF = 0%), but moderate to poor reproducibility in the presence of fat, with RDC increasing up to 1553 ms at PDFF 30%. Temporal stability was excellent ICC ≥ 0.998 for both PDFF and T 1 , and RDC of 1.1%–1.3% for PDFF and 52–57 ms for T 1 . Data Conclusion This phantom study demonstrated high reproducibility of PDFF, whereas T 1 reproducibility deteriorated at higher fat and T 1 levels, underscoring the need for fat‐corrected T 1 mapping for reliable assessment of fibroinflammatory changes. Evidence Level N/A. Technical Efficacy Stage 1.