Abstract #1452

Xe-129 MR Gas Transfer Spectroscopy as a Biomarker for Alveolar Septal Thickening: Reproducibility in Normal Subjects and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Maria Liljeroth¹, Suryanarayanan S. Kaushik², Zackary I. Cleveland³, Jane Stiles⁴, Lake D. Morrison⁴, Michael C. Foster⁵, H. Page McAdams⁶, Bastiaan Driehuys

¹Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Center, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; ²Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; ³Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; ⁴Pulmonary Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; ⁵Cdu Duke Hospital Clinic, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; ⁶Chest Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); a disorder marked by thickening of the interstitial barrier between airspaces and red blood cells (RBCs), is in dire need of improved biomarkers to evaluate drug efficacy. Hyperpolarized Xe-129 dissolves well in blood and pulmonary tissue and can be detected separately in these compartments by its chemical shift, thereby providing vital information on gas transfer in the lung. We present evidence that Xe-129 uptake in RBCs is greatly reduced in an IPF subject relative to controls. Results show high reproducibility at 5 month follow-up, demonstrating the value of hyperpolarized Xe-129 transfer spectroscopy in IPF therapy evaluation.