Current advances in pulmonary functional imaging

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Recent technological progress enables detailed regional ventilation and perfusion assessment.
• Multiple imaging modalities are evolving for functional lung evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of current functional imaging techniques for lung evaluation.
• To highlight advances in chest computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for respiratory analysis.

Main Methods:

• Review of functional imaging techniques including chest CT, MRI, dynamic chest radiography, scintigraphy, PET, ultrasound, and EIT.
• Analysis of specific advancements in CT (Jacobian determinant, parametric response mapping) and MRI (hyperpolarized 129Xe).

Main Results:

• Chest CT advancements allow analysis of local volume changes, small airway disease, emphysema, and airway lesions in COPD and asthma.
• Pulmonary MRI, particularly with hyperpolarized 129Xe, aids in estimating lung ventilation and perfusion.
• Other modalities like dynamic radiography, SPECT, PET/CT, ultrasound, and EIT offer complementary functional assessments.

Conclusions:

• Functional imaging provides crucial insights into lung ventilation and perfusion across various modalities.
• Familiarity with these techniques will enhance clinical practice for diagnosing and managing respiratory conditions.