Improved accuracy of myocardial blood flow quantification by first pass perfusion MR when corrected for steady state T1 relaxation

Quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) on first-pass dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE ) MR perfusion imaging has been performed by several different methods. However MBF estimates are dependent on the analysis model used, as the absolute concentration of the contrast agent during first pass is not known. To improve the accuracy of the MBF estimates calibration is required. We propose a novel approach for the quantification of MBF based on patient-specific calibration using steady state T1 relaxation values (1) (figure 1).