Pilot Study on the Use of Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance as a Noninvasive Tool for Monitoring Mucus in...

Patients with muco-obstructive lung disease (MOLD) exhibit chronic bronchitis and inflammation, along with a progressive decline in lung function. Lung monitoring is typically performed using spirometry, especially by measuring the forced expired volume in the first second (FEV₁). However, the limitations of spirometry motivated the exploration of alternative approaches. The spin-spin relaxation time (T_2m) and the spin-lattice relaxation time (T_1m) of sputum water hydrogens were measured using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) in 38 MOLD patients and 16 controls. The levels of TNFα/IL-6, the sputum microbiome composition/amount/indices and FEV₁ were determined in parallel. We also investigated the correlation between T_2m/T_1m and the disease index (I_D); I_D, calculated relying on patient FEV₁/TNFα/IL-6/bacteria concentration C_b values, is a measure of the patient's distance from the average healthy control. We observed the following significant correlations: T_2m/T_1m with I_D, T_2m with C_b, a potential correlation of T_2m with the bacteria genera Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, T_2m with the Shannon index, which reflects the broadness of the bacterial community in the sputum, and T_2m with TNFα. FEV₁ did not show any correlation. Our noninvasive/radiation-free/portable method of T_2m/T_1m measurement shows potential value in monitoring lung conditions in MOLD patients and may contribute to improved clinical decision-making.