Premium
Imaging of the lungs using 3he MRI: Preliminary clinical experience in 18 patients with and without lung disease
Author(s) -
Kauczor HansUlrich,
Ebert Michael,
Kreitner KarlFriedrich,
Nilgens Helge,
Surkau Reinhard,
Heil Werner,
Hofmann Dirk,
Otten Ernst W.,
Thelen Manfred
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1880070314
Subject(s) - medicine , lung , radiology , flip angle , pleural effusion , bronchiectasis , nuclear medicine , magnetic resonance imaging
The purpose of this study was to describe the 3He MRI findings of normal pulmonary ventilation in healthy volunteers and to evaluate abnormalities in patients with different lung diseases. Hyperpolarized 3He gas (300 ml, 3 × 10 5 Pa, polarized to 35–45% by optical pumping, provided in special glass cells) was inhaled by 8 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with different lung diseases. Imaging was performed with a three‐dimensional fast low‐angle shot (FLASH) sequence (TR = 11.8 msec; TE = 5 msec; transmitter amplitude, 5–8 V; corresponding flip angle, <5°) in a single breath‐hold (22–42 seconds). Clinical and radiologic examinations were available for correlation. The studies were performed successfully in eight of eight volunteers and in 8 of 10 patients. The lung parenchyma of volunteers with normal ventilatory function exhibited rather homogeneous intermediate to high signal, whereas patients with chronic obstructive lung disease or bronchiectasis presented with severe signal inhomogeneities with patchy or wedge‐shaped defects. The mass effect of bronchogenic carcinoma, chronic empyema, lymphadenopathy, or pleural effusion caused large signal defects, representing the lesion and adjacent hypoventilation, the extent of which had not been presumed from chest x‐ray or CT. 3He MRI is a promising new modality for the assessment of pulmonary ventilation and its abnormalities. Additional studies are needed to determine its potential clinical role.