Signal abnormalities of the bladder wall detected by native T-1 mapping in patients with overactive bladder

Object Native T-1 mapping provides tissue-specific T-1 relaxation times, which can be used to identify structural changes in the various organs. The object of this article was to evaluate the bladder wall of patients with overactive bladder using native T-1 mapping and compare the relaxation times of patients and healthy controls. Material and methods Seventeen patients with a diagnosis of overactive bladder and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this prospective study. All participants underwent pelvic MRI and T-1 maps were acquired. Native T-1 relaxation times were calculated via regions of interest acquired from the anterosuperior wall of the bladder in all participants. Mean T-1 relaxation times of the overactive bladder patients were compared with those of controls. Results Overactive bladder patients had statistically significantly higher T-1 relaxation times compared with controls (p = 0.004). In the subgroup analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between males (1113.42 +/- 62.4) and females (1176.70 +/- 100.9) regarding the T-1 relaxation times (p = 0.165). There were no correlations between age and T-1 relaxation times in patient or control groups (r = 0.057, p = 0.825, and r = 0.052, p = 0.932, respectively). Conclusion Native T-1 mapping can identify structural changes in the bladder wall of patients with overactive bladder. This technique has a promising role in the diagnosis of patients with suspected overactive bladder.