Assessment of the Gray Zone: A Comparison of Two Quantitative Methods in Heart Failure Patients

Tobias Voigt¹, Peter Koken¹, Simon G. Duckett², Anoop K. Shetty², Christian Stehning¹, Aldo Rinaldi², Reza Razavi², Tobias Schaeffter², Andrea J. Wiethoff³

In this study gray zone imaging using quantitative T1 mapping sequences was investigated. Two different sequences were compared with respect to gray zone characterization using spin density and T1 values. A standard Look Locker T1 mapping sequence was compared with a modified Look Locker (MOLLI) sequence including cardiac motion correction. Motion corrected MOLLI results showed improved delineation of the myocardial border and a better basis for the determination of the gray zone extent based on a clustering of spin density and T1.