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Abstract #2545

Hyperpolarized 129Xe Diffusion MRI of the Lungs in Healthy Subjects and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Suryanarayanan Sivaram Kaushik1, Zackary I. Cleveland1, Gary P. Cofer1, Gregory Metz2, Denise Beaver2, John Nouls1, Monica Kraft3, Jan Wolber4, H Page McAdams2, Bastiaan Driehuys1

1Center for In-Vivo Microscopy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 2Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 3Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 4GE Healthcare, Amersham, United Kingdom


Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) MRI using hyperpolarized 3He has been established as a radiation free alternative to Computerized Tomography in evaluating pulmonary microstructure, but its use is limited in biomedical research applications due to its high cost and low availability. Recently, the success of HP 129Xe in showing sensitivity to alveolar microstructure changes in animals suggests that 129Xe, which is cheaper and more readily available, is also suitable for ADC measurements. Here, we discuss 129Xe ADC imaging results from healthy volunteers and COPD patients with early stage emphysema and show that 129Xe ADC imaging can successfully discriminate the two groups.