Hyperpolarised xenon-129 MR spectroscopy and diffusion-weighted xenon-129 MRI at baseline in patients with interstitial lung disease

Preliminary findings are presented from a prospective, longitudinal, multicentre MRI biomarker study of patients presenting with interstitial lung disease (ILD) including drug induced ILD, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and connective tissue disease ILD. At the time of writing, 27 patients have undergone baseline hyperpolarised xenon-129 (¹²⁹Xe) MR spectroscopy (MRS) and ¹²⁹Xe diffusion-weighted MRI. Our findings suggest significant differences in mean ¹²⁹Xe apparent diffusion coefficient between the ILD subtypes at baseline but no significant differences in the red blood cell / tissue plasma ratio from dissolved ¹²⁹Xe MRS. We also demonstrate correlation between pulmonary function tests and ¹²⁹Xe MRI measures.