We assessed the ventilation defect percent (VDP) on hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI as an indicator of severe clinical outcomes (emergency department [ED] visits and hospitalizations as surrogates for significant asthma exacerbations). We compared VDP with conventional biomarkers of lung function and inflammation and found VDP was more strongly associated with both ED and hospitalizations as outcomes. VDP was correlated with spirometry, air trapping measured on CT, and eosinophil levels in sputum and peripheral blood. These findings suggest that VDP is a candidate biomarker associated with clinical outcomes of asthma exacerbation and stability.
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