1Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke
University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 2Radiology,
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; 3Pulmonary
and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,
United States; 4GE Healthcare, Amersham, United Kingdom; 5Radiation
Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
It
is now possible to directly image HP 129Xe dissolved in pulmonary gas
exchange tissues of humans. Dissolved image intensity is dominated by
relaxation, RF attenuation, and diffusive replenishment of dissolved 129Xe
magnetization, which are influenced by pulmonary structure and physiology.
Here, we develop a closed-form mathematical model of dissolved 129Xe
magnetization dynamics during 3D radial imaging. Model predictions agree well
with observations and can be used in image optimization. Because radial
images acquire k-zero in each view, the model also allows dynamic information
to be extracted from raw image data and may provide insights into global lung
physiology.