Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) 3D MRI of Lungs in Healthy Subjects at 3 Tesla: Assessment of Lung Tissue Density

Yannick Crmillieux¹, Mathieu Lederlin²

In this study, lung tissue density was investigated in healthy subjects (N=12) using three dimensional UTE (Ultra Short Echo Time) MRI. Acquisitions were performed during free breathing (gated at functional residual capacity) and during hold-breath (at residual volume and total lung capacity). Lung-to-muscle signal ratio and signal to noise ratio (SNR) were measured in basal, mid and apical levels. Average SNR in peripheral lung parenchyma ranged between 35 (free breathing) and 7 (total lung capacity). Proton-density weighted MRI protocols allowed measurements of vertical gradients in lung tissue density and variations in tissue density related to the level of lung inflation.