[MR imaging of lung ventilation with aerosolized gadolinium-chelates]

To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance assessment of human lung ventilation with aerosolized Gd-chelates in healthy volunteers.

Five healthy adults (mean age 37 years) were studied with a 1.5 T unit. The volunteers were instructed to inhale the aerosol through an airtight facial mask for 10 minutes. The aerosol was generated with a jet-type small particle nebulizer with attached heater. Ventilation imaging was performed using a respiration-gated dynamic T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequence (T(R) = 199 ms, T(E) = 8.5 ms, 12 signal averages, slice thickness 10 mm). Pulmonary signal intensity changes were calculated before and after nebulization.

The investigation was successfully carried out in all volunteers. An acute or delayed allergic reaction to the aerosolized contrast medium was not observed. In 4 of 5 experiments (80 %), a homogeneous signal intensity increase was readily visualized with an average signal increase of 35 % after 10 minutes; in one experiment, the aerosol distribution was slightly heterogeneous.

The results of the presented phase I clinical study demonstrate the feasibility of human ventilation imaging with aerosolized Gd-chelates for the first time. More trials with a larger number of healthy subjects and patients are needed before the clinical introduction of Gd-based ventilation MR imaging of the lungs.