Measurement of Lung Fluid Density Changes Using Passive Leg Raising in Congestive Heart Failure

Rexford D. Newbould¹, Rishi Gupta², Anura Malaweera², Andrew Lewis², Kishan R. Parmar², Lea Sarov-Blat³

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is characterised by an elevated left ventricular end diastolic pressure leading to an increased pressure in pulmonary vasculature, causing fluid to leak into the interstitial spaces of the lung tissue. Continuous HASTE imaging of the right lung was performed in 12 healthy controls (HCs) and 12 subjects with CHF who underwent passive leg raising (PLR). PLR consisted of raising the subjects legs to a 45 angle while lying in the scanner bore. HASTE acquisitions could map gravity-dependent lung density as well as the response to PLR, although a non-significant difference in lung density response was found between HCs and early-stage CHFs.