Thinking outside the black box: a fully transparent T1 mapping pipeline

Quantitative MRI is pointless if we cannot peak inside the black box that generates the numbers. This is the main motivation behind our concept for a fully transparent qMRI pipelines starting at the scanner console and extending all the way to a journal publication. In this work, we developed a simple application to demonstrate this for variable flip angle (VFA) T1 mapping. This application exemplifies the feasibility of a vendor-neutral qMRI sequence that is publicly shared under version control (https://github.com/qMRLab/pulse_sequences). Our approach opens a way towards community-driven development and improvement of qMRI applications without the need for specialized programming skills.