Free-breathing multi-slice myocardial T2 mapping using slice-selective T2 magnetization preparation

Background Quantitative myocardial T2 mapping allows non-invasive assessment of myocardial inflammation/edema [1]. Current implementations commonly use a T2-prepared (T2prep) SSFP sequence to acquire different T2 weighted images at different echo times to generate the T2 maps [2,3]. However, all current techniques are designed for single slice acquisition with long rest cycles (3-6 sec) after each T2prep image acquisition to allow for full spin recovery. This markedly increases the overall scan time, especially if multiple slices are to be acquired in serial. In this study, we propose a novel multi-slice T2 mapping sequence, which uses slice-selective T2prep pulses combined with an interleaved slice acquisition scheme to provide a fast multi-slice T2 mapping.