Sensitivity of Viscosity and Elasticity in Preserved Pig Lung by Magnetic Resonance Elastography

Roberta Santarelli¹, Xavier Matre¹, Ralph Sinkus², Luc Darrasse¹

Viscoelastic properties of lungs participate in the organ basic function. Their exploration in vivo is not attainable. Hyperpolarised helium-3 MR-elastography on lungs has been demonstrated in vivo. This new technique ex vivo quantitatively evaluated the comparison between helium-3 and hydrogen MRE: the fluid/structure coupling was found to be strong, validating helium-3 lung MRE as a consistent tool for lung exploration. This work focuses on viscoelastic properties behaviour of hydrogen MRE, applied on the preserved pig lung inflated at different volumes: performance of wavelength, elasticity, and viscosity distribution is discernible throughout the inner area and the outer peripheries of the lungs