The Role of Improved Motion‐Sensitized Driven Equilibrium Blood Suppression and Fat Saturation on T2 Relaxation Time, Using GraSE Sequence in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background T2 mapping is a valuable technique in cardiac MR imaging that offers insights into the microstructural characteristics of myocardial tissue. However, it was shown that myocardial T2 relaxation times (T2) measured vary significantly depending on sequence, sequence parameters, and field strength. Purpose To assess T2 variability and image quality in cardiac T2 maps using four variants of the gradient‐spin echo (GraSE) sequence, having different methods of blood signal suppression (double inversion recovery (DIR) and improved motion‐sensitized driven equilibrium (iMSDE) and with and without the addition of fat saturation (FS). Study Type Prospective. Population 48 healthy volunteers (46.7 +/− 21.5 years, 24 male) with no cardiac history. Field Strength/Sequence GraSE sequence with DIR (GraSEDIR), with iMSDE (GraSEiMSDE) and FS (GraSEDIR‐FS) and with both iMSDE and FS (GraSEiMSDE‐FS) at 1.5T. Assessment Global T2 from three short axis myocardial slices. and image quality assessments using a 5‐point Lickert scale (1, (non‐diagnostic) to 5, (excellent)) were conducted to evaluate the impact of DB and FS techniques on myocardial T2 measurements and image quality. Statistical Tests Paired t‐tests or non‐parametric equivalents for comparisons between sequences. The Bland–Altmann plots and Pearson rank correlation analyses, as appropriate. A P value 4 out of 5) were obtained for all sequence variants with no significant differences between them (P = 0.11). Data Conclusion All GraSE sequence variants exhibited approximately the same results and variations in the DB technique and addition of FS did not have significant impact on myocardial T2 values. Level of Evidence 2 Technical Efficacy Stage 1