Systolic T1 mapping for estimation of myocardial diffuse fibrosis

Background Parametric T1 mapping currently allows non-invasive estimation of diffuse left-ventricular fibrosis. Imaging for T1 mapping is usually acquired during the diastolic phase. However, in tachycardia and arrhythmia, diastasis is short and imaging challenging. Conversely, systolic T1 mapping might offer an advantage and further enable more accurate ROI delineation for T1 maps as the myocardium is thicker. Although motion is also more likely during image generation. Recent studies using various T1 mapping sequences in systole have usually shown small differences (~1-2%) between systolic and diastolic T1 values [1-4] but older studies had shown larger differences [5]. We investigated the difference between systolic and diastolic T1 mapping using Siemens investigational prototype 448B.