Phantom-based correction for standardization of myocardial native T1 and extracellular volume fraction in healthy subjects at 3-Tesla cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

• Published in: European radiology Vol. 32; no. 12; pp. 8122 - 8130
• Main Authors: Suh, Young Joo, Kim, Pan Ki, Park, Jinho, Park, Eun-Ah, Jung, Jung Im, Choi, Byoung Wook
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Cardiac; Coefficient of variation; Contrast Media; Diagnostic Radiology; Extracellular matrix; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Heart; Humans; Imaging; Internal Medicine; Interventional Radiology; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; Male; Mapping; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Myocardium - pathology; Neuroradiology; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiology; Reference Standards; Reproducibility of Results; Segments; Standardization; Ultrasound; Heart; Magnetic resonance imaging; Standardization; Phantoms, imaging
• ISSN: 1432-1084; 0938-7994; 1432-1084
• DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-08936-8

Objectives To investigate the effect of the phantom-based correction method for standardizing myocardial native T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) in healthy subjects. Methods Seventy-one healthy asymptomatic adult (≥ 20 years) volunteers of five different age groups (34 men and 37 women, 45.5 ± 15.5 years) were prospectively enrolled in three academic hospitals. Cardiac MRI including Modified Look - Locker Inversion recovery T1 mapping sequence was performed using a 3-Tesla system with a different type of scanner for each hospital. Native T1 and ECV were measured in the short-axis T1 map and analyzed for mean values of the 16 entire segments. The myocardial T1 value of each subject was corrected based on the site-specific equation derived from the T1 Mapping and ECV Standardization phantom. The global native T1 and ECV were compared between institutions before and after phantom-based correction, and the variation in native T1 and ECV among institutions was assessed using a coefficient of variation (CoV). Results The global native T1 value significantly differed between the institutions (1198.7 ± 32.1 ms, institution A; 1217.7 ± 39.9 ms, institution B; 1232.7 ± 31.1 ms, institution C; p = 0.002), but the mean ECV did not (26.6–27.5%, p = 0.355). After phantom-based correction, the global native T1 and ECV were 1289.7 ± 32.4 ms and 25.0 ± 2.7%, respectively, and CoV for native T1 between the three institutions decreased from 3.0 to 2.5%. The corrected native T1 value did not significantly differ between institutions (1284.5 ± 31.5 ms, institution A; 1296.5 ± 39.1 ms, institution B; 1291.3 ± 29.3 ms, institution C; p = 0.440), and neither did the ECV (24.4–25.9%, p = 0.078). Conclusions The phantom-based correction method can provide standardized reference T1 values in healthy subjects. Key Points • After phantom-based correction, the global native T1 of 16 entire myocardial segments on 3-T cardiac MRI is 1289.4 ± 32.4 ms, and the extracellular volume fraction was 25.0 ± 2.7% for healthy subjects. • After phantom - based correction was applied, the differences in the global native T1 among institutions became insignificant, and the CoV also decreased from 3.0 to 2.5%.