Maxim V. Terekhov1, Alexander W. Scholz2, Julien Rivoire1, Lars Lillpopp2, Ursula A. Wolf1, Wolfgang Schreiber1
1Department of Radiology, Section of Medical Physics, Mainz University Medical School, Mainz, Germany; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Mainz University Medical School, Mainz, Germany
MRI using hyperpolarized helium-3 as a contrast gas allows studying lung air-spaces in high temporal and spatial resolution. Applying this imaging technique we aimed to quantify the regional time constants of the inert gas elimination by high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). Additionally, we strived at the time constants of regional redistribution within the lungs using regional and pixel based mapping.