David Joseph Niles1, Stanley J. Kruger1,
Grace Parraga2,3, Bernard Dardzinski4, Marcella Ruddy4,
Nizar N. Jarjour5, David G. McCormack6, Amy Harman4,
Sean B. Fain1,7
1Medical Physics,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States; 2Imaging
Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western
Ontario, London, ON, Canada; 3Medical Biophysics, University
of Western Ontario, London, ON,
Canada; 4Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, United
States; 5Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United
States; 6Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine,
University of Western Ontario, London,
ON, Canada; 7Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI,
United States
Hyperpolarized helium-3 magnetic resonance imaging (HPHe MRI) is a promising tool for evaluating regional ventilation in obstructive lung disorders; however, its reliability has not been thoroughly established. This study evaluates the reliability of HPHe MRI between exams on separate days and the inter-reader reliability of exams analyzed independently by two blinded readers. Reliability was quantified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and a Bland-Altman analysis. Between-day ICC values for four image-based measurements were at least 0.61 and inter-reader ICC values were at least 0.91. These results indicate that HPHe MRI is robust between separate exams and independent evaluators.