The lung is an intrinsically difficult organ to image using conventional MRI. Although global structural features and major abnormalities are detectable using conventional MRI, lung structure on the vascular level is prohibitively difficult to image. Hyperpolarized gas MRI provides high enough signal to obtain high-resolution images of lung structure at the acinar level. Furthermore, with the use of hyperpolarized xenon MRI, dynamic images of xenon dissolution are made obtainable given xenon’s high solubility in blood and tissue. By applying decreasingly destructive pulses, the uptake and distribution of the gas throughout the body becomes visible.
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