Alexandra Rose Morgan1,2, Geoff J.M. Parker1,2,
1Imaging Science and Biomedical
Engineering, School of Cancer and Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester,
Manchester, United Kingdom; 2The Biomedical Imaging Institute, The
University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; 3AstraZeneca,
Alderley Park, Macclesfield, United Kingdom
Current
diagnosis methods in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not
capable of examining regional pathological changes in mechanical properties.
We have developed a method for investigating relative regional pulmonary
compliance using proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A 2D half-Fourier
acquired single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) sequence was optimised for lung
imaging. A mesh-based group-wise affine image registration was applied to
images ordered according to respiratory cycle position. Information from the
registration allowed relative regional compliance measures to be extracted
and mapped over the lung. Maps show differences between healthy volunteers
and COPD patients and can indicate likely regions of disease.
Keywords