SINAPSE Image of the Month: Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI
Courtesy of Prof Edwin van Beek and Prof Grace Parraga from the University of Western Ontario, these pulmonary MR images with inhaled hyperpolarized 129Xe gas show the lungs of a healthy volunteer (left; 79 year old female never-smoker) compared to a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (right; 77 year old female ex-smoker with a 40 pack-year smoking history). Top row: static ventilation images. Bottom row: apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. The inhaled gas-contrast visualises ventilation defects in the COPD patient, with the brighter diffusion-weighted map reflecting larger ADC numbers indicative of airspace enlargement and/or emphysematous tissue destruction.
The image is taken from a recent review published in European Journal of Radiology:
Kirby M, van Beek EJR, Seo JB, Biederer J, Nakano Y, Coxson HO, Parraga G. Management of COPD: Is there a role for quantitative imaging? European Journal of Radiology. Available online 28 August 2016.