title: Hyperpolarized Gas Magnetic Resonance Lung Imaging in Children and Young Adults.
abstract: The assessment of early pulmonary disease and its severity can be difficult in young children, as procedures such as spirometry cannot be performed on them. Computed tomography provides detailed structural images of the pulmonary parenchyma, but its major drawback is that the patient is exposed to ionizing radiation. In this context, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising technique for the evaluation of pediatric lung disease, especially when serial imaging is needed. Traditionally, MRI played a small role in evaluating the pulmonary parenchyma. Because of its low proton density, the lungs display low signal intensity on conventional proton-based MRI. Hyperpolarized (HP) gases are inhaled contrast agents with an excellent safety profile and provide high signal within the lung, allowing for high temporal and spatial resolution imaging of the lung airspaces. Besides morphologic information, HP MR images also offer valuable information about pulmonary physiology. HP gas MRI has already made new contributions to the understanding of pediatric lung diseases and may become a clinically useful tool. In this article, we discuss the HP gas MRI technique, special considerations that need to be made when imaging children, and the role of MRI in 2 of the most common chronic pediatric lung diseases, asthma and cystic fibrosis. We also will discuss how HP gas MRI may be used to evaluate normal lung growth and development and the alterations occurring in chronic lung disease of prematurity and in patients with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Radiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA †Department of Radiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO ‡Xemed LLC §Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flors
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mugler
authors.forename: Eduard E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: de Lange
authors.forename: Grady W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Jaime F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tustison
authors.forename: Iulian C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ruset
authors.forename: F William
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Hersman
authors.forename: Talissa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Altes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult