Abstract #3975
On the Estimation of the Alveolar Size in the Human Lung Using Proton MRI
Flavio Carinci 1,2 , Felix A. Breuer 1 , and Peter M. Jakob 1,2
1
Research Center Magnetic Resonance Bavaria
(MRB), Wrzburg, Bayern, Germany,
2
Department
of Experimental Physics 5, University of Wrzburg,
Wrzburg, Bayern, Germany
The alveolar size is a parameter of paramount importance
in the lung, since it could help to develop a better
understanding of respiratory dynamics and to detect
microstructural injuries. Here, a novel approach based
on proton MRI is proposed, which allows for the
quantification of the alveolar size in vivo, by
exploiting the transverse relaxation enhancement due to
water diffusion through the internal magnetic field
gradients of the lung. To this end, maps of the
transverse relaxation enhancement are acquired.
Additionally, proton density images are used to correct
for variations of the air fraction with inflation. Maps
of the alveolar diameter are calculated from a
combination of the two. Experiments performed on healthy
volunteers show similar values in expiration and
inspiration, with a mean value within the lung of about
230μm. This is in good agreement with previous reports,
as well as with the alveolar recruitment theory.
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