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. 2022 May 1;95(1133):20211008.
doi: 10.1259/bjr.20211008. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Liver T1 relaxation time of the 'normal liver' in healthy Asians: measurement with MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA methods at 3T

Armin Ghavamian  1 , Cuihong Liu  1   2 , Bing Kang  2 , Xianshun Yuan  2 , Ximing Wang  1   2 , Ling Gao  3 , Xinya Zhao  1   2
Affiliations

Liver T1 relaxation time of the 'normal liver' in healthy Asians: measurement with MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA methods at 3T

Armin Ghavamian et al. Br J Radiol. .

Abstract

Objectives: Liver T1 is a potential magnetic resonance imaging biomarker for liver diseases. This study aimed to determine the T1 relaxation time of the normal liver (PDFF<5%) in healthy Asian volunteers using modified look-locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) and B1 inhomogeneity-corrected variable flip angle (B1-corrected VFA).

Methods: 60 healthy Asian volunteers without focal or diffuse liver disease underwent a liver scan at 3T magnetic resonance. Proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and liver stiffness measurements were applied for the quantification of liver fat and fibrosis. T1 mapping was performed with MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA sequences. Bland-Altman, linear regression, Student t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.

Results: The mean T1 relaxation times of the whole liver were 901 ± 34 ms by MOLLI, and 948 ± 29 ms by B1-corrected VFA in healthy volunteers. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001) for liver T1 between two T1 mapping methods. There were significant differences between the right and left lobes in liver T1 relaxation times using both methods (p < 0.05). Gender and Asian ethnic disparities had no impact on liver T1 relaxation times.

Conclusion: T1 relaxation times of the normal liver (PDFF<5%) in healthy volunteers were established by MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA T1 mapping methods at 3T. It may provide suitable and robust baseline values for the assessment of liver diseases.

Advances in knowledge: Gender and Asian ethnic disparities do not impact liver T1 relaxation time measurements.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Liver T1 maps using (a) MOLLI sequence and (b) B1-corrected VFA sequence in a healthy 23-year-old female. The manually drawn regions of interest were placed at the anatomic level of portal hilum on both T1 maps with distance to the liver border. Large blood vessels and bile ducts were avoided.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Regression lines and scatter diagram of liver T1 relaxation times between MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA sequences. Diverging dashed lines = 95% confidence interval, solid parallel lines = 95% prediction interval and thick solid lines = regression line. Diagonal line represents the ideal identity line. Regression equation in the whole liver is as follows: MOLLI (ms) = −94.440 (ms) + [1.049 × B1-corrected VFA (ms)]. The slope of the regression was close to 1. The intercept was statistically different from zero and had statistical significance (p < 0.05)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Bland-Altman plot shows the mean bias and 95% limits of agreement between MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA T1 mapping methods.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Boxplots of liver T1 using MOLLI and B1-corrected VFA T1 mapping techniques based on (a) the whole liver, right and left lobes; (b) gender; (c) Asian ethnic groups.
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