In vivo myocardial tissue characterization of all four chambers using high-resolution quantitative MRI

Quantitative native T1 Mapping of the myocardium without the application of contrast agents can be used to detect fibrosis in the left ventricle. Spatial resolution of standard native T1 mapping is limited by cardiac motion and hence is not sufficient to resolve small myocardial structures, such as the right ventricle and the atria. Here, we present a novel MR approach which provides cardiac motion information and native T1 maps from the same data. Motion information is utilized to optimize data selection for T1 mapping and a model-based iterative reconstruction scheme ensures high-resolution T1 maps for the entire heart. Feasibility of the approach was demonstrated in three healthy volunteers. In the T1 maps, the myocardium of all four chambers can be visualized and T1 values of the left atrium and right chambers were comparable to left ventricular T1 values