Positive Contrast Ultra-Short Echo Time Imaging (UTE) of Infiltrating Iron-Labeled Macrophages for Early Detection of Lung Inflammation in the Mouse

Klaus Strobel¹, Verena Hoerr¹, Florian Schmid¹, Lydia Wachsmuth¹, Cornelius Faber¹

Preclinical diagnosis of lung inflammation with T₂^* weighed protocols after systemic application of super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) is considered impossible because of the strong intrinsic susceptibility effects between lung parenchyma and alveolar spaces. Here we implemented an ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence and successfully detected positive contrast in the lung after systemic administration of SPIOs in a mouse model of lung inflammation.