Progression of Emphysema in a 12-month Hyperpolarized (3)He-MRI Study Lacunarity Analysis Provided a More Sensitive Measure than Standard ADC Analysis(1).
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Inhaled hyperpolarized (3)He magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been used to measure alveolar size in patients with emphysema. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that (3)He MR images could be used to develop a biomarker of emphysema progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve healthy controls and 18 patients with emphysema (eight current smokers, 10 ex-smoke