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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Using Hyperpolarized Xenon-129 MRI to Study Lung Diseases
Published on: January 5, 2024
Hyperpolarised xenon magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the longitudinal assessment of changes in gas diffusion in
Nicholas D Weatherley1, Neil J Stewart1, Ho-Fung Chan1
1POLARIS, Academic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Abstract:
Prognosticating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is challenging, in part due to a lack of sensitive biomarkers. A recent article in Thorax described how hyperpolarised xenon magnetic resonance spectroscopy may quantify regional gas exchange in IPF lungs. In a population of patients with IPF, we find that the xenon signal from red blood cells diminishes relative to the tissue/plasma signal over a 12-month time period, even when the diffusion factor for carbon monoxide is static over the same time period. We conclude that hyperpolarised 129Xe MR spectroscopy may be sensitive to short-term changes in interstitial gas diffusion in IPF.
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