A multiparametric alternative to short inversion-time inversion recovery for imaging inflammation: T and fat fraction measurement using chemical shift-encoded turbo spin-echo MRI.

Purpose: Short-inversion-time inversion-recovery MRI is used widely for imaging bone and soft-tissue inflammation in rheumatic inflammatory diseases, but there is no widely available quantitative equivalent of this sequence. This limits our ability to objectively assess inflammation and distinguish it from other processes. To address this, we investigate the use of the widely available Dixon turbo spin echo (TSE Dixon) sequence as a practical approach to simultaneous water-specific T (T ) and fat fraction (FF) measurement.