Mohammad Sabati1, Andrew A. Maudsley1
1Radiology,
Accurate mapping of tissue water content, M0, with high spatial resolution and short experimental times is technically challenging. One efficient method for obtaining simultaneous M0 and T1-maps is based on acquiring two SPGR images in steady states with variable flip angles using linear parameterization. The two optimal flip angles for best T1-maps (i.e., maximum SNR) were previously found. Here, we analytically derive the optimal flip angles for SNR-optimized M0-maps and verify the result in eight healthy subjects. Accurate M0-maps with 1 mm isotropic resolution and whole brain coverage were achieved in a clinically acceptable time.