Hyperpolarized helium‐3 magnetic resonance imaging of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

A chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exsmoker underwent pulmonary function tests and hyperpolarized helium‐3 ( 3 He) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serially over 4 years, twice prior to and twice following an acute exacerbation (AE). About 2.5 years pre‐AE, 3 He ventilation defect percent (VDP) was 16%, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was 0.34 cm 2 /s, and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV 1 ) was 41% pred . Six months pre‐AE, VDP and ADC were worse (29% and 0.38 cm 2 /s, respectively) without worsening FEV 1 (47% pred ). After hospitalization and AE treatment, VDP was 20%, whereas FEV 1 did not improve (45% pred ); 16 months post‐AE, both VDP and ADC remained improved and similar to 4 years prior. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1223–1227. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.