Hyperpolarized 129Xe Diffusion MRI of the Lungs in Healthy Subjects and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Suryanarayanan Sivaram Kaushik¹, Zackary I. Cleveland¹, Gary P. Cofer¹, Gregory Metz², Denise Beaver², John Nouls¹, Monica Kraft³, Jan Wolber⁴, H Page McAdams², Bastiaan Driehuys¹

Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) MRI using hyperpolarized 3He has been established as a radiation free alternative to Computerized Tomography in evaluating pulmonary microstructure, but its use is limited in biomedical research applications due to its high cost and low availability. Recently, the success of HP 129Xe in showing sensitivity to alveolar microstructure changes in animals suggests that 129Xe, which is cheaper and more readily available, is also suitable for ADC measurements. Here, we discuss 129Xe ADC imaging results from healthy volunteers and COPD patients with early stage emphysema and show that 129Xe ADC imaging can successfully discriminate the two groups.