Technical Development of Xe MRI

The goal of this study is to develop and optimize new proton (1H; conventional MRI) and Xe gas MRI techniques to assess regional cardiopulmonary structure and function in the clinical setting. Specifically, three forms of Xe MRI techniques will be our focus: (1) imaging of the Xe ventilation distribution (which is the current FDA-approved indication for Xe MRI); (2) imaging the alveolar microstructure via the Xe apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC); and (3) detecting via spectroscopy and imaging Xe gas dissolved in the pulmonary blood and tissues upon inhalation.