Assessment of Bronchial Thickness Using MRI in Asthma

Bronchial remodeling is a major pathological feature of asthma. Non-invasive assessment of this bronchial remodeling is a crucial issue for asthma patients' follow-up. Currently, computed tomography (CT) is the method of reference to evaluate and quantify bronchial thickness but it remains unable to differentiate bronchial inflammation from remodelling and is a radiation-based technique. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) pulse sequences is a promising non-ionizing alternative for lung imaging. Our objective is to evaluate bronchial thickness in asthma patients using CT and MRI-UTE, and to test the agreement between both techniques.