Mathieu Boudreau1,
Nikola Stikov1, Bruce G. Pike1
1Montreal
Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
A recent study reported that three commonly used methods for T1 mapping (Inversion Recovery, Look-Locker, Variable Flip Angle) measure similar T1 values in phantoms, but disagree <I>in vivo</I> at 3T (VFA overestimated and LL underestimated relative to IR). This work investigates possible confounding factors that may explain the T1 trends observed <I>in vivo</I>. Bloch simulations tested the effects of inaccurate B1 mapping and spoiling on T1 for all three sequences. These simulations predict a systematic bias in VFA and LL due to these effects, consistent with trends observed <I>in vivo</I>, highlighting the importance of proper calibration with the IR gold standard.