Yoshiharu Ohno1, Hisanobu Koyama1, Keiko Matsumoto1,2, Yumiko Onishi1, Daisuke Takenaka1, Munenobu Nogami1,3, Nobukazu Aoyama4, Hideaki Kawamitsu4, Kazuro Sugimura1
1Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; 2Radiology, Yamanashi University, Shimokatou, Yamanashi, Japan; 3Division of Image-Based Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; 4Division of Radiology, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Oxygen (O2) -enhanced MRI as well as hyperpolarized noble gas MR imaging have been proposed as useful procedures for evaluation of morphological changes or regional pulmonary functional changes. However, the literature shows no publications dealing with prospective and direct comparison of the capability of quantitatively assessed CT and of O2-enhanced MRI for pulmonary functional loss assessment and clinical stage classification in asthmatics. The purpose of the study reported here was to prospectively and directly compare the efficacy of O2-enhanced MRI and quantitative CT for functional loss assessment and clinical stage classification in asthmatics.