Rapid Whole-Knee Quantification of Cartilage Using T &lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt;, T &lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; &lt;sup&gt;∗&lt;/sup&gt;, and T &lt;sub&gt;RAFF2&lt;/sub&gt; Mapping With Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

Tourais, Joao; Ploem, T.W.; Zadelhoff, Tijmen A.van; Steeg-Henzen, Christal van de; Oei, Edwin H.G.; Weingärtner, S.D.

doi:10.1109/TBME.2023.3280115

Rapid Whole-Knee Quantification of Cartilage Using T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2 Mapping With Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

Title

Rapid Whole-Knee Quantification of Cartilage Using T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2 Mapping With Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

Author

Tourais, Joao (TU Delft ImPhys/Weingärtner group)
Ploem, T.W. (TU Delft ImPhys/Medical Imaging)
Zadelhoff, Tijmen A.van (Erasmus MC)
Steeg-Henzen, Christal van de (Holland Particle Therapy Centre)
Oei, Edwin H.G. (Erasmus MC)
Weingärtner, S.D. (TU Delft ImPhys/Computational Imaging; TU Delft ImPhys/Weingärtner group)

Date

2023

Abstract

Objective: Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) holds great promise for the early detection of cartilage deterioration. Here, a Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) framework is proposed for comprehensive and rapid quantification of T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2 with whole-knee coverage. Methods: A MRF framework was developed to achieve quantification of Relaxation Along a Fictitious Field in the 2nd rotating frame of reference (T _RAFF2) along with T ₁ and T ₂ ^∗. The proposed sequence acquires 65 measurements of 25 high-resolution slices, interleaved with 7 inversion pulses and 40 RAFF2 trains, for whole-knee quantification in a total acquisition time of 3:25 min. Comparison with reference T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2 methods was performed in phantom and in seven healthy subjects at 3 T. Repeatability (test-retest) with and without repositioning was also assessed. Results: Phantom measurements resulted in good agreement between MRF and the reference with mean biases of -54, 2, and 5 ms for T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2, respectively. Complete characterization of the whole-knee cartilage was achieved for all subjects, and, for the femoral and tibial compartments, a good agreement between MRF and reference measurements was obtained. Across all subjects, the proposed MRF method yielded acceptable repeatability without repositioning (R ²≥ 0.94) and with repositioning (R ²≥ 0.57) for T ₁, T ₂ ^∗, and T _RAFF2. Significance: The short scan time combined with the whole-knee coverage makes the proposed MRF framework a promising candidate for the early assessment of cartilage degeneration with quantitative MRI, but further research may be warranted to improve repeatability after repositioning and assess clinical value in patients.