Regional investigation of lung function and microstructure parameters by localized

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) significantly impacts lung microstructure.
• Accurate assessment of regional lung parameters is crucial for understanding COPD.
• 129Xe MRI offers unique insights into lung physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reproducibility and regional variability of localized 129Xe chemical shift saturation recovery (CSSR) MR spectroscopy.
• To compare localized 129Xe CSSR results with 129Xe dissolved-phase MR imaging.
• To evaluate these parameters in healthy volunteers and COPD patients.

Main Methods:

• 13 healthy volunteers and 10 COPD patients underwent two scanning sessions.
• 129Xe dissolved-phase imaging, CSSR, and ventilation imaging sequences were utilized.
• A 16-channel phased-array coil and SPLASH method enabled regional CSSR analysis.
• Patz model functions were applied to derive lung function and microstructural parameters.

Main Results:

• The Patz model alveolar wall thickness parameter demonstrated good reproducibility (median CV 6.5% in healthy, 12.4% in COPD).
• Significant regional differences in lung function parameters were observed in healthy volunteers using localized CSSR.
• Correlations between localized CSSR-derived parameters and spirometric indices were identified.

Conclusions:

• Localized 129Xe CSSR provides reproducible estimates of alveolar wall thickness.
• This technique is capable of detecting regional differences in lung microstructure.
• Localized 129Xe CSSR holds potential for evaluating lung microstructure in health and disease.