[Reformation as proposed solution for the problem of sectioning different levels with 3He-MRT and HR-CT of the chest].
OBJECTIVE
3He-MRI of the lung has been shown to be a sensitive method for functional imaging of the lung. A previous study compared 3He-MRI (coronal planes) with CT (transverse planes) by looking for ventilation defects and their pathomorphologic correlation. Anatomic structures, such as lobar fissures and hilar vessels, were used for orientation, but the reliable assignment of ventilation defects to lung segments is problematic. The present work compares multiplanar reformations of 3He-MRI and HR-CT, which were generated from planes determined by the respective method, and investigates their suitability as a solution of this problem.


METHODS
A total of 16 data sets taken from 15 patients with unilateral lung transplantation and one patient with lung emphysema were retrospectively evaluated. Transverse planes of 3He-MRI and coronal planes of HR-CT were reformatted on an external workstation and images evaluated by two readers in consensus. The evaluation searched for ventilation defects on 3He-MRI and their corresponding defects on HR-CT. The defects were related to anatomic structures, with hilar vessels and tracheobronchial tree selected for 3He-MRI reformations and lobar fissures for HR-CT reformations.


RESULTS
All cases were successfully reformatted and all ventilation defects were correctly assigned to anatomic structures. On HR-CT reformations, the lobar fissures were partially visible in 12 of 16 cases and completely visible in the remaining 4 cases. Since reformation compromises the spatial resolution, the reformatted images should be evaluated together with the source images.


CONCLUSIONS
Looking at HR-CT and 3He-MRI images and their reformations enables the detection of ventilation defects and their assignment to lung segments, facilitating the correlation of ventilation defects with a pathomorphologic pattern on HR-CT.
Gast
K K
KK
Klinik und Poliklink für Radiologie, Klinikum der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. kgast@radilogie.klinik.uni-mainz.de
Zaporozhan
J
J
Ley
S
S
Eberle
B
B
Biedermann
A
A
Knitz
F
F
Schmiedeskamp
J
J
Schreiber
W G
WG
Maier
E
E
Kauczor
H-U
HU
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D016040:Lung Transplantation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001261:Pulmonary Atelectasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio / Q000502:physiology