Optimized spiral imaging for measurement of myocardial T 2 relaxation

Microcirculation oxygen levels and blood volumes should be reflected in measurements of myocardial T 2 relaxation. This work describes the optimization of a spiral imaging strategy for robust myocardial T 2 measurement to minimize the standard deviation of T 2 measurement (σ T 2 ). Theoretical and experimental studies of blurring at muscle/blood interfaces enabled the derivation of parameter sets which reduce σ T 2 to the level of 5%. T 2 relaxation mapping within healthy volunteers provided estimation of residual σ T 2 within the optimized technique. The standard deviation in T 2 measurement across regions of interest (ROIs) in different locations is about 9%. The standard deviation in T 2 measurement in an ROI across different time points is about 5%. Magn Reson Med 49:1089–1097, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.