Imaging Impaired Gas Uptake in a Rat Model of Pulmonary Fibrosis with 3D Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI

Zackary I. Cleveland¹, Yi Qi², Bastiaan Driehuys¹

Hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe is soluble in tissues and displays a large in vivo chemical shift range. Once inhaled, HP 129Xe can be detected separately in alveolar spaces, dissolved in pulmonary barrier tissues (plasma and interstitium), or dissolved in capillary red blood cells (RBCs). Thus, HP 129Xe holds the potential to provide unique insights into pulmonary gas exchange. Previously, these properties were exploited to generate 2D, 1-Point Dixon images of 129Xe uptake by barrier tissues and RBCs in rats. Here we extend this approach to enable 3D imaging of impaired gas-exchange in a rat model of Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.