A signal model for fat-suppressed T₁-mapping and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with interrupted spoiled gradient-echo readout

The conventional gradient-echo steady-state signal model is the basis of various spoiled gradient-echo (SPGR) based quantitative MRI models, including variable flip angle (VFA) MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE). However, including preparation pulses, such as fat suppression or saturation bands, disrupts the steady-state and leads to a bias in T ₁ and DCE parameter estimates. This work introduces a signal model that improves the accuracy of VFA T ₁-mapping and DCE for interrupted spoiled gradient-echo (I-SPGR) acquisitions. The proposed model was applied to a VFA T ₁-mapping I-SPGR sequence in the Gold Standard T ₁-phantom (3 T), in the brain of four healthy volunteers (3 T), and to an abdominal DCE examination (1.5 T). T ₁-values obtained with the proposed and conventional model were compared to reference T ₁-values. Bland–Altman analysis (phantom) and analysis of variance (in vivo) were used to test whether bias from both methods was significantly different (p = 0.05). The proposed model outperformed the conventional model by decreasing the bias in the phantom with respect to the phantom reference values (mean bias -2 vs. -35% at 3 T) and in vivo with respect to the conventional SPGR (-6 vs. -37% bias in T ₁, p < 0.01). The proposed signal model estimated approximately 48% (depending on baseline T ₁) higher contrast concentrations in vivo, which resulted in decreased DCE pharmacokinetic parameter estimates of up to 35%. The proposed signal model improves the accuracy of quantitative parameter estimation from disrupted steady-state I-SPGR sequences. It therefore provides a flexible method for applying fat suppression, saturation bands, and other preparation pulses in VFA T ₁-mapping and DCE.