Whole-heart T1-mapping with single breath-hold

Background T1-mapping, directly measuring the underlying longitudinal relaxation times (T1), and extracellular volume (ECV) quantification, are emerging techniques for myocardial fibrosis quantification. Recent studies have reported significant T1 differences in fibrotic and normal tissue, but whole-heart T1-mapping is rarely performed in clinical practice, due to the associated time-consuming data acquisition; this can lead to sampling error when the fibrotic process is not homogenous. Signal acquisition over multiple heart beats can also be problematic, due to the potential for motion artifacts. In this study, we present a rapid whole-heart T1-mapping in a single breath-hold of, e.g., 6 heartbeats (typically, 5-7 seconds for total 9 T1 maps).