The stripe sign: correlation of radionuclide ventilation and perfusion with He-3 magnetic resonance lung imaging

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to correlate regional ventilation and perfusion images and perfusion SPECT with images made using a newly developed magnetic resonance ventilation (MRV) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation included a single patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a healthy control participant. Ventilation and perfusion images using Xe-133 and Tc-99m MAA, including perfusion SPECT, were compared with single-breath MRV with hyperpolarized He-3. RESULTS: Ventilation and perfusion defects correspond to areas of poor ventilation on MRV. High-resolution MRV images show preservation of bronchi and acinus units in areas of the "stripe sign" on the V/Q study. CONCLUSIONS: MRV imaging confirms that the stripe sign seen on nuclear perfusion imaging correlates with subsegmental preserved lung. MRV imaging has the potential for high-resolution innovative studies of subsegmental lung function, using either He-3 or Xe-129 hyperpolarized gases.