Relaxation time mapping technique development improves disease detectability

Background Relaxation time mapping is increasingly important for myocardial tissue characterization and potentially offers a quantitative descriptor of occult or heterogeneous myocardial disease. Recent techniques that reduce motion sensitivity, image artifacts and correct for elevated heart rates (HR) have made substantial advances in map accuracy and precision, but it is unclear how these improvements quantitatively lead to better disease detection. We used T1rho maps from normal subjects to generate variance-matched Monte Carlo data and retrospectively analyzed the effect that incremental improvements in mapping technology have on disease detectability.