Abstract #3339

Shanbhag D, Miller G, Altes T, Mata J, Knight-Scott J

A spectroscopic technique for making morphometric measurements in lungs in vivo using a q-space approach for hyperpolarized 3He gas diffusion is presented. Q-space spectroscopic data was collected from healthy volunteers and COPD patients. Two distinct length scales were resolved: in healthy the mean displacements were: 188 &[mu]m and 474 &[mu]m. In case of COPD, mean displacements were elevated (265 &[mu]m and 530 &[mu]m). Excellent correlation was found between q-space data and 3HE DWI ADC data. The q-space parameters agreed remarkably well with historical alveolar morphometry data. Detailed lung microstructural information can be obtained using a very low volume of inhaled 3He.