Comparison of the thoracic CT-based computational model with hyperpolarized Xenon-129 MRI and SPECT images to assess pulmonary ventilation in COPD patients

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Thoracic computed tomography (CT) is a clinically established diagnostic technique to detect structural pulmonary abnormalities but provides no functional pulmonary information. <b>Objectives:</b> The current study aims to demonstrate the use of the CT-based full-scale airway network (FAN) flow model to assess ventilation in COPD patients and to compare the modelling results obtained with hyperpolarized Xenon-129 (HPX) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging data. <b>Methods:</b> Pulmonary ventilation in nine COPD patients was modelled using the CT-based FAN flow model. Pulmonary tissue density information extracted from the CT and Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) results were used for the patient-specific modelling. The ventilation calculated in the FAN model was compared to the PFT data and the ventilation HPX-MRI and ventilation SPECT (V-SPECT) imaging. <b>Results:</b> Pulmonary ventilation calculated from the FAN model was visually similar to ventilation demonstrated on the ventilation HPX-MRI and SPECT images (Fig 1), and statistically significant, Pearson correlation of the ventilation profiles between the FAN model and HPX-MRI and SPECT images, rMod-HPX=0.67; rMod-SPE=0.61, P&lt;0.001. <b>Conclusions:</b> The CT-based FAN model utilizes structural imaging data to provide ventilation images comparable to functional imaging techniques.