In vivo diffusion weighted 19F MRI using SF6

Diffusion weighted 19F images of rat lung in vivo using SF6 are presented. Projection-reconstruction images were acquired by filling the rat lung with a mixture of SF6 and air, during 64 successive apneas. Each apnea lasted for 6 s, the time required to perform 100 accumulations of each k-space radial phase step for the five values of the diffusion gradient (TR = 10 ms). After diffusion images were acquired, an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map was generated, yielding an average value for the ADC of 2.22 x 10(-6) m2/s and SD for ADC values of 1.27 x 10(-6) m2/s. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in vivo diffusion weighting imaging application and the first ADC map obtained using 19F MRI.