Functional MRI of the Lung

Abstract

Imaging of the pulmonary parenchyma represents a unique challenge for MRI. Limited signal is caused by low proton density, susceptibility artefacts, and physiological motion (cardiac pulsation, respiration). Improvements in MRI techniques have extended the potential for investigations of pulmonary parenchymal disease with the evaluation of lung perfusion. More recently inhalation of non proton-MRI nuclei such as hyperpolarized gases (3He or 129Xe) can provide functional ventilation images.