Dynamic Radial Imaging of Inhaled 129Xe and 3He

Helen Marshall¹, Xiaojun Xu¹, Graham Norquay¹, Steve R. Parnell¹, Juan Parra-Robles¹, Jim M. Wild¹

Dynamic radial ³He imaging allows rapid imaging of gas flow and can give information about lung motion and gas trapping. ¹²⁹Xe and ³He dynamic radial imaging of an inhalation and exhalation manoeuvre were compared in a healthy volunteer. Comparable lung movement and gas filling was seen, despite the lower signal to noise ratio of the ¹²⁹Xe images. Region of interest signal time-courses showed a faster rate of signal increase during inhalation for ³He than ¹²⁹Xe, which may be due to the greater density of ¹²⁹Xe. The rate of signal decay during exhalation was similar for both gases.