Assessment of pulmonary parenchyma perfusion with FAIR in comparison with DCE-MRI--initial results.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess pulmonary parenchyma perfusion with flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) in comparison with 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging in healthy volunteers and in patients with pulmonary embolism or lung cancer.


METHODS
Sixteen healthy volunteers and 16 patients with pulmonary embolism (5 cases) or lung cancer (11 cases) were included in this study. Firstly, the optimized inversion time of FAIR (TI) was determined in 12 healthy volunteers. Then, FAIR imaging with the optimized TI was performed followed by DCE-MRI on the other 4 healthy volunteers and 16 patients. Tagging efficiency of lung and SNR of perfusion images were calculated with different TI values. In the comparison of FAIR with DCE-MRI, the homogeneity of FAIR and DCE-MRI perfusion was assessed. In the cases of perfusion abnormality, the contrast between normal lung and perfusion defects was quantified by calculating a normalized signal intensity ratio.


RESULTS
One thousand milliseconds was the optimal TI, which generated the highest lung tagging efficiency and second highest PBF SNR. In the volunteers, the signal intensity of perfusion images acquired with both FAIR and DCE-MRI was homogeneous. Wedged-shaped or triangle perfusion defects were visualized in five pulmonary embolisms and three lung cancer cases. There was no significant statistical difference in signal intensity ratio between FAIR and DCE-MRI (P>0.05). In the rest of eight lung cancers, all the lesions showed low perfusion against the higher perfused pulmonary parenchyma in both FAIR and DCE-MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary parenchyma perfusion imaging with FAIR was feasible, consistent and could obtain similar functional information to that from DCE-MRI.
Fan
Li
L
Department of Radiology, ChangZheng Hospital Affiliated to Second Military Medical University, No. 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China. fanli0930@163.com
Liu
Shi-yuan
SY
Sun
Fei
F
Xiao
Xiang-sheng
XS
D000328:Adult; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010477:Perfusion / Q000379:methods; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult