PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance assessment of human lung ventilation with aerosolized Gd-chelates in healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five healthy adults (mean age 37 years) were studied with a 1.5 T unit. The volunteers were instructed to inhale the aerosol through an airtight facial mask for 10 minutes. The aerosol was generated with a jet-type small particle nebulizer with attached heater. Ventilation imaging was performed using a respiration-gated dynamic T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequence (T(R) = 199 ms, T(E) = 8.5 ms, 12 signal averages, slice thickness 10 mm). Pulmonary signal intensity changes were calculated before and after nebulization. RESULTS: The investigation was successfully carried out in all volunteers. An acute or delayed allergic reaction to the aerosolized contrast medium was not observed. In 4 of 5 experiments (80 %), a homogeneous signal intensity increase was readily visualized with an average signal increase of 35 % after 10 minutes; in one experiment, the aerosol distribution was slightly heterogeneous. CONCLUSION: The results of the presented phase I clinical study demonstrate the feasibility of human ventilation imaging with aerosolized Gd-chelates for the first time. More trials with a larger number of healthy subjects and patients are needed before the clinical introduction of Gd-based ventilation MR imaging of the lungs.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance assessment of human lung ventilation with aerosolized Gd-chelates in healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five healthy adults (mean age 37 years) were studied with a 1.5 T unit. The volunteers were instructed to inhale the aerosol through an airtight facial mask for 10 minutes. The aerosol was generated with a jet-type small particle nebulizer with attached heater. Ventilation imaging was performed using a respiration-gated dynamic T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequence (T(R) = 199 ms, T(E) = 8.5 ms, 12 signal averages, slice thickness 10 mm). Pulmonary signal intensity changes were calculated before and after nebulization. RESULTS: The investigation was successfully carried out in all volunteers. An acute or delayed allergic reaction to the aerosolized contrast medium was not observed. In 4 of 5 experiments (80 %), a homogeneous signal intensity increase was readily visualized with an average signal increase of 35 % after 10 minutes; in one experiment, the aerosol distribution was slightly heterogeneous. CONCLUSION: The results of the presented phase I clinical study demonstrate the feasibility of human ventilation imaging with aerosolized Gd-chelates for the first time. More trials with a larger number of healthy subjects and patients are needed before the clinical introduction of Gd-based ventilation MR imaging of the lungs.