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Demonstration of a compact compressor for application of metastability‐exchange optical pumping of 3 He to human lung imaging
Author(s) -
Gentile Thomas R.,
Jones Gordon L.,
Thompson Alan K.,
Rizi Rahim R.,
Roberts David A.,
Dimitrov Ivan E.,
Reddy Ravinder,
Lipson David A.,
Gefter Warren,
Schnall Mitchell D.,
Leigh John S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(200002)43:2<290::aid-mrm17>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - gas compressor , metastability , materials science , hyperpolarization (physics) , diaphragm (acoustics) , nuclear magnetic resonance , human lung , polarization (electrochemistry) , optical pumping , chemistry , optics , physics , lung , acoustics , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , medicine , organic chemistry , loudspeaker , thermodynamics , laser
Hyperpolarized gas magnetic resonance imaging has recently emerged as a method to image lungs, sinuses, and the brain. The best lung images to date have been produced using hyperpolarized 3 He, which is produced by either spin‐exchange or metastability‐exchange optical pumping. For hyperpolarized gas MRI, the metastable method has demonstrated higher polarization levels and higher polarizing rates, but it requires compression of the hyperpolarized gas. Prior to this work, compression of hyperpolarized gas had only been accomplished using a large, complex and expensive apparatus. Here, human lung ventilation images are presented that were obtained using a compact compressor that is relatively simple and inexpensive. For this test, 1.1 bar‐L of 15% hyperpolarized 3 He gas was produced at the National Institute of Standards and Technology using a modified commercial diaphragm pump. The hyperpolarized gas was transported to the University of Pennsylvania in a holding field provided by a portable solenoid. Magn Reson Med 43:290–294, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.