Kiarash Emami1, Jennia N. Rajaei1,
Yi Xin1, Puttisarn Mongkolwisetwara1, Harilla Profka1,
Stephen J. Kadlecek1, Hooman Hamedani1, Yinan Xu1,
Amy Barulic1, Stephen Pickup1, Nicholas N. Kuzma1,
Blerina Ducka2, Angela Haczku2, Masaru Ishii3,
Rahim R. Rizi1
1Radiology, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Pulmonary &
Critical Care Division, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center,
Philadelphia, PA, United States; 3OtolaryngologyHead & Neck
Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
Regional measurements of fractional ventilation provide a sensitive and noninvasive tool for studying physiological changes which occur within the asthmatic lung. Evidence shows a statistically significant decline in regional ventilation for the asthmatic cohort compared to that of the nave and control cohorts, while ADC values did not exhibit a similar decline, indicating that airway remodeling which contributes to lower ventilation is a result of asthmatic responses. Results indicate that hyperpolarized gas MRI and the quantitative measurements obtained from it may yield promising advances in early detection and diagnosis of asthma.