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Rapid 3D in vivo 1H human lung respiratory imaging at 1.5 T using ultra‐fast balanced steady‐state free precession
Author(s) -
Pusterla Orso,
Bauman Grzegorz,
Wielpütz Mark O.,
Nyilas Sylvia,
Latzin Philipp,
Heussel Claus P.,
Bieri Oliver
Publication year - 2017
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/mrm.26503
Subject(s) - medicine , respiratory system , ventilation (architecture) , magnetic resonance imaging , lung , nuclear medicine , respiratory physiology , perfusion , exhalation , reproducibility , lung volumes , radiology , physics , chemistry , thermodynamics , chromatography
Purpose To introduce a reproducible, nonenhanced 1H MRI method for rapid in vivo functional assessment of the whole lung at 1.5 Tesla (T). Methods At different respiratory volumes, the pulmonary signal of ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession (ufSSFP) follows an adapted sponge model, characterized by a respiratory index α. From the model, α reflects local ventilation‐related information, is virtually independent from the lung density and thus from the inspiratory phase and breathing amplitude. Respiratory α‐mapping is evaluated for healthy volunteers and patients with obstructive lung disease from a set of five consecutive 3D ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession (ufSSFP) scans performed in breath‐hold and at different inspiratory volumes. For the patients, α‐maps were compared with CT, dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI), and Fourier decomposition (FD). Results In healthy volunteers, respiratory α‐maps showed good reproducibility and were homogeneous on iso‐gravitational planes, but showed a gravity‐dependent respiratory gradient. In patients with obstructive pulmonary disease, the functional impairment observed in respiratory α‐maps was associated with emphysematous regions present on CT images, perfusion defects observable on DCE‐MRI, and impairments visualized on FD ventilation and perfusion maps. Conclusion Respiratory α‐mapping derived from multivolumetric ufSSFP provides insights into functional lung impairment and may serve as a reproducible and normative measure for clinical studies. Magn Reson Med 78:1059–1069, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.