MRI Project: T1 mapping in the heart
7MBI2003: Imaging in Healthcare 2024/25
1) Literature review
Perform a literature search about T1 mapping in the heart, exploring clinical applications, challenges, and the main sequences used in this context such as MOLLI and SASHA. Please mention the differences between these sequences and standard T1 mapping sequences that you have seen in the MRI lectures. A good starting point for the literature review is to look at these articles:
-Kellman P, Hansen MS. T1-mapping in the heart: accuracy and precision. Journal of cardiovascular magnetic resonance. 2014 Dec;16(1):2.
-Taylor AJ, Salerno M, Dharmakumar R, Jerosch-Herold M. T1 Mapping: Basic Techniques and Clinical Applications. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016 Jan;9(1):67-81
You can also have a look at the provided slides for a brief explanation of cardic T1 mapping.
The literature review should be part of your final written report.
[20 marks]
2) Implementation of cardiac T1 mapping
- In the programming language of your choice, implement cardiac T1 mapping functions that would allow you to calculate T1 maps from MOLLI data.
- In the programming language of your choice, implement cardiac T1 mapping functions that would allow you to calculate T1 maps from SASHA data.
[30 marks]
3) Results
Run your implementation on the provided SASHA and MOLLI cardiac Dicom data and evaluate the obtained T1 values for each sequence by using regions of interest in the myocardium (heart muscle). Hint: in Matlab, you can use the “dicomread” and “dicominfo” functions and inversion times can be obtained for each Dicom image using info.TriggerTime where info is the struct obtained from the call of “dicominfo” .
[30 marks]
4) Discussion
Interpret the results you obtained (do the results agree with what is published in the literature? how do the accuracy and precision of these methods compare?)
[20 marks]