Lung T1 MRI assessments in children with mild cystic fibrosis lung disease

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Radiology

Background:

• Lung T1 MRI is a safe, quick, and accessible imaging method for assessing cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease.
• Limited data exist on T1 MRI's efficacy in children with mild CF lung disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the capability of lung T1 MRI in identifying abnormalities in pediatric patients with mild CF lung disease.
• To compare T1 MRI findings with established CF lung disease assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 45 children (6-11 years) with mild CF lung disease underwent lung T1 MRI, multiple breath washout (MBW), chest computed tomography (CT), and spirometry.
• Lung clearance index (LCI) was measured by MBW, and chest CT Brody scores were assessed.

Main Results:

• The majority of children showed mild lung disease via LCI, chest CT Brody scores, and percent normal lung perfusion (%NLP) on T1 MRI, despite normal spirometry (ppFEV1).
• %NLP from T1 MRI correlated with chest CT Brody scores, and LCI also correlated with chest CT Brody scores.
• %NLP and LCI did not correlate with each other but correlated with different Brody subscores, indicating complementary information.

Conclusions:

• Lung T1 MRI is effective in detecting mild CF lung disease in children and shows correlation with chest CT findings.
• T1 MRI's %NLP and LCI provide complementary information regarding CF lung disease, as they correlate with different aspects of CT lung disease severity.