Myocardial T2ρ Mapping in Small Animals: Comparison of Balanced Spin-Lock and Malcolm-Levitt Preparations

In this work, we propose myocardial T2ρ mapping as a potential and more robust alternative to conventional T2 quantification. Our new approach for T2ρ imaging, which is based on Malcolm-Levitt preparations with zero inter-pulse delays, was compared with established pulse sequences for T2, T1ρ and T2ρ in both phantom and in vivo experiments. In summary, the new preparatory pulse sequence was shown to meet the demanding requirements of myocardial T2ρ mapping at high magnetic field strength and to outperform conventional T2ρ preparations using balanced spin-locking.