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Probing lung microstructure with hyperpolarized 3 He gradient echo MRI
Author(s) -
Sukstanskii Alexander L.,
Quirk James D.,
Yablonskiy Dmitriy A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nmr in biomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.278
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1099-1492
pISSN - 0952-3480
DOI - 10.1002/nbm.3150
Subject(s) - gradient echo , lung , nuclear magnetic resonance , in vivo , magnetic resonance imaging , signal (programming language) , pulsed field gradient , diffusion mri , spin echo , human lung , diffusion , biomedical engineering , materials science , physics , medicine , computer science , radiology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , programming language , thermodynamics
In this paper we demonstrate that gradient echo MRI with hyperpolarized 3 He gas can be used for simultaneously extracting in vivo information about lung ventilation properties, alveolar geometrical parameters, and blood vessel network structure. This new approach is based on multi‐gradient‐echo experimental measurements of hyperpolarized 3 He gas MRI signal from human lungs and a proposed theoretical model of this signal. Based on computer simulations of 3 He atoms diffusing in the acinar airway tree in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field induced by the susceptibility differences between lung tissue (alveolar septa, blood vessels) and lung airspaces, we derive analytical expressions relating the time‐dependent MR signal to the geometrical parameters of acinar airways and the blood vessel network. Data obtained on eight healthy volunteers are in good agreement with literature values. This information is complementary to the information obtained by means of the in vivo lung morphometry technique with hyperpolarized 3He diffusion MRI previously developed by our group, and opens new opportunities to study lung microstructure in health and disease. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.