Hyperpolarized 129Xe gas exchange (GX) MR imaging of pulmonary ventilation, barrier uptake and red blood cell (RBC) transfer has shown sensitivity to a wide range of pathology. However, the physiological interpretation of regional RBC transfer defects is not yet fully established and its connection to conventional measures has yet to be studied in a broad range of pathology. Here we evaluate the extent to which 129Xe RBC transfer reflects local perfusion, by testing its spatial correlation to 99mTc scintigraphy and propose a generalized model connecting 129Xe gas exchange metrics to the membrane and capillary blood volume components of DLCO.
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