Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI has been shown to be sensitive to inflammatory changes after lung provocation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in an animal model. The purpose of this work was to investigate feasibility of monitoring the response of the human lungs after segmental LPS challenge using 129Xe MRI. Dissolved-phase imaging and chemical shift saturation recovery were employed to assess inflammatory changes and to compare MRI results with inflammatory cell counts from bronchoalveolar lavage. Both MRI methods show a significant reduction of the 129Xe in red blood cells and lung tissue ratio in the affected region but no significant correlations with inflammatory cell counts.
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