Mapping of human local pulmonary ventilation by xenon enhanced computed tomography

Functional maps of local pulmonary ventilation are derived from serial computed tomographic images acquired prior to and during a short period of inhalation of subanesthetic xenon/oxygen gas mixtures. Preliminary results from human studies yield quantitative maps of local ventilation rates with excellent anatomic specificity demonstrating nonuniformities in the distribution of ventilation in normal and abnormal human lungs.