To perform static breath-hold fluorine 19 (19 F) threedimensional (3D) ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the lungs in healthy volunteers by using a mixture of 79% perfluoropropane (PFP) and 21% O 2. Materials and Methods: This study protocol was approved by the local research ethics board and by Health Canada. All volunteers provided written informed consent. Ten healthy volunteers underwent MR imaging at 3.0 T. Fluorine 19 3D UTE MR images were acquired during a 15-second breath hold according to one of two breathing protocols: protocol A, a 1-L inhalation of a mixture of 79% PFP and 21% O 2 , and protocol B, continuous breathing from a 5-L bag of a mixture of 79% PFP and 21% O 2 followed by a 1-L inhalation of the same PFP-O 2 mixture from a separate bag and a subsequent breath hold. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was measured in the three most central image sections and was compared between breathing protocols by using an unpaired t test. Results: Overall, the SNR was significantly greater for breathing protocol B (continuous breathing) than for breathing protocol A (single breath) (P = .018). The mean SNRs were 18 6 6 (standard deviation) and 32 6 6 for images acquired by using breathing protocols A and B, respectively. Breathing protocol B improves SNR by "washing out" the air from the lungs and increasing the PFP concentration prior to 19 F imaging. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of 19 F 3D UTE static breath-hold MR imaging of human lungs with inert fluorinated gases.
Fluorine-19 ((19)F) MRI of the lungs using inhaled inert fluorinated gases can potentially provide high quality images of the lungs that are similar in quality to those from hyperpolarized (HP) noble gas MRI. Inert fluorinated gases have the advantages of being nontoxic, abundant, and inexpensive compared with HP gases. Due to the high gyromagnetic ratio of (19)F, there is sufficient thermally polarized signal for imaging, and averaging within a single breath-hold is possible due to short longitudinal relaxation times. Therefore, the gases do not need to be hyperpolarized prior to their use in MRI. This eliminates the need for an expensive polarizer and expensive isotopes. Inert fluorinated gas MRI of the lungs has been previously demonstrated in animals, and more recently in healthy volunteers and patients with lung diseases. The ongoing improvements in image quality demonstrate the potential of (19)F MRI for visualizing the distribution of ventilation in human lungs and detecting functional biomarkers. In this brief review, the development of inert fluorinated gas MRI, current progress, and future prospects are discussed. The current state of HP noble gas MRI is also briefly discussed in order to provide context to the development of this new imaging modality. Overall, this may be a viable clinical imaging modality that can provide useful information for the diagnosis and management of chronic respiratory diseases.
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