James D. Quirk1, Barbara A. Lutey2,
Jason C. Woods1,3, Alexander L. Sukstanskii1, Mark S.
Conradi, 1,3, Mario Castro2, David S. Gierada1,
Dmitriy A. Yablonskiy1,3
1Radiology, Washington University
School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; 2Internal
Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United
States; 3Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United
States
In
vivo lung morphometry with hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI is a sensitive method
for detecting early emphysema and provides a unique insight into changes in
the acinar microstructure. We utilized
this technique to measure acinar geometrical parameters in 30 smokers and 5
healthy volunteers. Our results
support the view that early emphysema progresses through dilation of alveolar
ducts with retraction of alveolar walls.
We also detected significant disease heterogeneity across the lung and
suggest that these patterns can provide important insights into disease
phenotypes and are valuable for monitoring disease progression and regression.