Fast T1-based MR Thermometry at Low Magnetic Field

Abstract

Thanks to the enhanced T1 dispersion and its linear dependence on temperature over the typical hyperthermia range, T1 mapping represents a serious candidate for temperature mapping at low magnetic fields. Nonetheless, T1 acquisitions are typically long and sensitivity if further reduced at low field regimes. Here we propose a Look-Locker-based temperature mapping sequence that takes advantage of the inherently higher signal gathered using a bSSFP approach. Temperatures spanning from 25 to 50°C could be mapped in doped-water samples with a temporal resolution of 20s/slice and with a precision of 2.6±1.9°C.