Hyperpolarized Xe MR imaging of alveolar gas uptake in humans.

Cleveland, Zackary I

Cofer, Gary P

Metz, Gregory

Beaver, Denise

Nouls, John

Kaushik, S Sivaram

Kraft, Monica

Wolber, Jan

Kelly, Kevin T

McAdams, H Page

Driehuys, Bastiaan

Yang, Shaolin

United States

2011-06-21T17:32:12Z

2010-08-16

BACKGROUND: One of the central physiological functions of the lungs is to transfer inhaled gases from the alveoli to pulmonary capillary blood. However, current measures of alveolar gas uptake provide only global information and thus lack the sensitivity and specificity needed to account for regional variations in gas exchange. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we exploit the solubility, high magnetic resonance (MR) signal intensity, and large chemical shift of hyperpolarized (HP) (129)Xe to probe the regional uptake of alveolar gases by directly imaging HP (129)Xe dissolved in the gas exchange tissues and pulmonary capillary blood of human subjects. The resulting single breath-hold, three-dimensional MR images are optimized using millisecond repetition times and high flip angle radio-frequency pulses, because the dissolved HP (129)Xe magnetization is rapidly replenished by diffusive exchange with alveolar (129)Xe. The dissolved HP (129)Xe MR images display significant, directional heterogeneity, with increased signal intensity observed from the gravity-dependent portions of the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: The features observed in dissolved-phase (129)Xe MR images are consistent with gravity-dependent lung deformation, which produces increased ventilation, reduced alveolar size (i.e., higher surface-to-volume ratios), higher tissue densities, and increased perfusion in the dependent portions of the lungs. Thus, these results suggest that dissolved HP (129)Xe imaging reports on pulmonary function at a fundamental level.

Version of Record

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20808950

1932-6203

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4562

eng

en_US

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

PLoS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0012192

Plos One

Adult

Artifacts

Blood Volume

Feasibility Studies

Humans

Imaging, Three-Dimensional

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Middle Aged

Pulmonary Alveoli

Pulmonary Gas Exchange

Respiration

Time Factors

Xenon Isotopes

Young Adult

Hyperpolarized Xe MR imaging of alveolar gas uptake in humans.

Journal article

Driehuys, Bastiaan|0000-0002-1236-4210

2010-8-16

8

5

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20808950

e12192

8

Clinical Science Departments

Duke

Medicine

Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine

Physics

Radiology

Radiology, Cardiothoracic Imaging

School of Medicine

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Published online

5