Madhwesha Rao1, Neil J Stewart1, Graham Norquay1, Paul D Griffiths1, and Jim M Wild1
Xenon is an inert noble gas which
can be safely inhaled. In the lungs, it diffuses into the bloodstream and is
then transported to distal organs (brain, kidneys and liver). In this study, we
have directly imaged the uptake of hyerpolarized 129Xe in the human brain
in vivo. Thus demonstrated the feasibility as a safe and non-invasive contrast
agent for functional imaging of the brain in diagnosing diseases related to cerebral
perfusion such as brain ischemia. In addition, using tracer kinetic analysis we
provide quantitative measurement for the intrinsic physiological characteristic
of the blood brain barrier.
