Chemical Shift Saturation Recovery Research Articles

Noninvasive detection of pulmonary tissue destruction in a mouse model of emphysema using hyperpolarized 129Xe MRS under spontaneous respiration

In the present study, a chemical shift saturation recovery method in hyperpolarized (129)Xe MR spectroscopy measurements was applied to two groups of spontaneously breathing mice, an elastase-induced emphysema model and a control group. Parameters detected were those related to lung structures and functions, such as alveolar septal thickness, h, the ratio of the alveolar septal volume relative to gas space volume, V(s)/V(a), and the transit time of blood through the gas exchange region, τ. To investigate the potential of these parameters as biomarkers, an attempt was made to detect physiologic changes in the lungs of elastase-treated mice. Our results showed that V(s)/V(a) was significantly reduced in elastase-treated mice, reflecting emphysema-like destruction of the alveolar wall. Compared with histologic results, this degree of reduction was shown to reflect the severity of wall destruction. On the other hand, significant changes in other parameters, h and τ, were not shown. This study is the first application of hyperpolarized (129)Xe MR spectroscopy to a mouse model of emphysema and shows that the V(s)/V(a) volume ratio is an effective biomarker for emphysema that could become useful in drug research and development through noninvasive detection of pathologic changes in small rodents.

Human Pulmonary Imaging and Spectroscopy with Hyperpolarized 129Xe at 0.2T

Using a novel (129)Xe polarizer with high throughput (1-2 L/hour) and high polarization (approximately 55%), our objective was to demonstrate and characterize human pulmonary applications at 0.2T. Specifically, we investigated the ability of (129)Xe to measure the alveolar surface area per unit volume of gas, S(A)/V(gas). Variable spin echo time (TE) gradient and radiofrequency (RF) echoes were used to obtain estimates of the lung's contribution to both T(2)* and T(2). Standard multislice ventilation images were obtained and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) determined. Whole-lung, time-dependent measurements of (129)Xe diffusion from gas to septal tissue were obtained with a chemical shift saturation recovery (CSSR) method. Four healthy subjects were studied, and the Butler et al CSSR formalism (J Phys Condensed Matter 2002; 14:L297-L304) was used to calculate S(A)/V(gas). A single-breath version of the xenon transfer contrast (SB-XTC) method was implemented and used to image (129)Xe diffusion between alveolar gas and septal tissue. A direct comparison of CSSR and SB-XTC was performed. T(2)*=135+/-29 ms amd T(2)=326.2+/-9.5 ms. Maximum SNR=36 for ventilation images from inhalation of 1L 86% (129)Xe and voxel volume =0.225 mL. CSSR analysis showed S(A)/V(gas) decreased with increasing lung volume in a manner very similar to that observed from histology measurements; however, the absolute value of S(A)/V(gas) was approximately 40% smaller than histology values. SB-XTC images in different postures demonstrate gravitationally dependent values. Initial comparison of CSSR with XTC showed fairly good agreement with expected ratios. Hyperpolarized (129)Xe human imaging and spectroscopy are very promising methods to provide functional information about the lung.