Meeting Banner
Abstract #2532

Assessing the Persistence of Ventilation Defects in Asthmatics at Baseline and Following Methacholine Challenge Using Hyperpolarized 3He MRI

Yanping Sun1, Linxi Shi1,2, Guoen Jin1, Sanaz Zhalehdoust Sani3, Justin L. Lui3, Stephen J. Krinzman4, John Mark Madison4, Kenneth R. Lutchen3, Mitchell S. Albert1

1Radiology, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, United States; 2Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, United States; 3Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States; 4Pulmonary, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, United States


We used hyperpolarized 3He MR to image subjects with asthma at two scanning sessions 45 days apart; during each session, baseline and post-methacholine scans were collected. We found that post-methacholine, defect number increased by an average of 172%. The percentage of defects that remained in the same location between imaging sessions was 75% 40 between baseline scans, but 96% 4 between post-methacholine scans. Thus, methacholine provocations in asthmatics increased defect number, but defects tended to remain in the same location from one provocation to another. Our results suggest that asthma dysfunction has an important localized component.