Quantification of Gadolinium Concentration Using GRE and UTE Sequences

Purpose: To compare different MR sequences for quantification of gadolinium concentration. Materials and Methods: Gadolinium contrast agents were diluted into 36 different concentrations. They were scanned using gradient echo (GRE) and ultrashort echo time (UTE) and R1, $R2^*$ and phase values were estimated from collected data. For analysis, ROI masks were made for each concentration and then ROI value was measured by mean and standard deviation from the estimated quantitative maps. Correlation analysis was performed and correlation coefficient was calculated. Results: Using GRE sequence, R1 showed a strong linear correlation at concentrations of 10 mM or less, and $R2^*$ showed a strong linear correlation between 10 to 100 mM. The phase of GRE generally exhibited a negative linear relationship for concentrations of 100 mM or less. In the case of UTE, the phase had a strong negative linear relationship at concentrations 100 mM or above. Conclusion: R1, which was calculated by conventional GRE, showed a high performance of quantification for lower concentrations, with a correlation coefficient of 0.966 (10 mM or less). $R2^*$ showed stronger potential for higher concentrations with a correlation coefficient of 0.984 (10 to 100 mM), and UTE phase showed potential for even higher concentrations with a correlation coefficient of 0.992 (100 mM or above).