Abstract #0894

Imaging of Airway Remodeling in a Murine Model of Bronchial Hyper-Responsiveness using Hyperpolarized Gas MRI

Kiarash Emami¹, Jennia N. Rajaei¹, Yi Xin¹, Puttisarn Mongkolwisetwara¹, Harilla Profka¹, Stephen J. Kadlecek¹, Hooman Hamedani¹, Yinan Xu¹, Amy Barulic¹, Stephen Pickup¹, Nicholas N. Kuzma¹, Blerina Ducka², Angela Haczku², Masaru Ishii³, Rahim R. Rizi¹

¹Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; ²Pulmonary & Critical Care Division, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States; ³OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States

Regional measurements of fractional ventilation provide a sensitive and noninvasive tool for studying physiological changes which occur within the asthmatic lung. Evidence shows a statistically significant decline in regional ventilation for the asthmatic cohort compared to that of the nave and control cohorts, while ADC values did not exhibit a similar decline, indicating that airway remodeling which contributes to lower ventilation is a result of asthmatic responses. Results indicate that hyperpolarized gas MRI and the quantitative measurements obtained from it may yield promising advances in early detection and diagnosis of asthma.