Lung stiffness is altered in many diseases making it an important biomarker of understanding lung mechanics. Many patients struggle to hold their breath during scanning due to shortness of breath. We have developed a free-breathing spin-echo-spiral magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) sequence, and a feasibility study was performed on 5 healthy volunteers. It was found that the shear stiffness of the lung during normal breathing was 1.9±0.51kPa and 8.87±1.44kPa with and without considering lung density correction, respectively. Also the measurements were repeatable and reproducible.
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