Establishing normal T1 mapping values in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a regional study

Abstract

T1 mapping represents an advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging technique, crucial for the non-invasive assessment of myocardial tissue and the early diagnosis of various cardiac pathologies. This study aims to determine the normal range of T1 mapping values in a population sample from our geographic region, using the MOLLI sequence on a 1.5T MRI scanner. In magnetic resonance imaging, establishing normal T1 ranges in mapping sequences for healthy individuals is essential to enable the early and immediate detection of abnormalities indicative of pathology. T1 normal ranges are subject to variability due to physical/biological confounders (such as magnetic field strength, temperature, sex, and patient age) and methodological factors (such as sequence type and post-processing). We analyzed 36 patients (28 male, 8 female), positioning three circular regions of interest (ROIs) on the interventricular septum at basal, mid, and apical levels in the short-axis plane for each subject. The findings indicated that the reference T1 mapping value in a healthy population from our area is 1010 ± 20 ms.