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Abstract #4111

Dynamics of Pulmonary Ventilation Distribution at Steady State Via 19Fluorine-Enhanced MRI: Initial Experiences and Future Developments

Ahmed F. Halaweish1, 2, William Michael Foster3, Richard E. Moon4, Neil R. MacIntyre3, James R. MacFall1, H. Cecil Charles1, 2

1Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; 2Duke Image Analysis Laboratory - Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; 3Medicine - Pulmonary, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; 4Anesthesiology - GTVU Divison, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States

The renewable nature of the fluorine (19F) signal in conjunction with fast imaging sequences, presents itself as a non-invasive radiation-free technique to assess pulmonary ventilation at steady-state equilibrium, providing regional assessments of ventilation efficiency and wash-in and wash-out rates. Subjects (n=29) were recruited and imaged on a Siemens TIM Trio 3T MRI scanner utilizing a 3D GRE VIBE sequence, performing several breath-holds interspersed with 3-5 breaths of perfluoropropane (PFP). Analysis of the data demonstrated a clear difference between normal and emphysemic lungs, where the latter demonstrated a weaker ventilation signal throughout the lungs and increased gas-trapping. These results demonstrate the feasibility of multi-breath steady state assessments via 19F MRI, as a radiation-free alternative to the early CT work performed utilizing xenon gas.

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Keywords

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