Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in Lung Transplant Patients

The PI of this project was:

This project was funded by: ICTR Pilot Project Grant, Radiology R&D

The term of this project was: August 2012 to May 2012

The number of subjects scanned during this project was: 80

We propose a pilot study to apply fast MRI methods to oxygen-enhanced MRI. We will validate oxygen-enhanced MRI compared to established ventilation imaging using inhalation of hyperpolarized helium (He-3) as a contrast agent, and compare the efficacy of oxygen-enhanced MRI, He-3 MRI, and CT in the detection of early Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome BOS. We plan to use the preliminary data generated by this pilot study as the basis for future extramural funding proposals to definitively establish the utility of using oxygen-enhanced MRI for early detection of BOS. The specific aims of the proposal are as follows: 1. Apply recent advances in ultrashort TE and radial imaging to oxygen-enhanced MRI. 2. Validate and establish the reproducibility of two alternative oxygen-enhanced MRI methods compared to the more established He-3 MRI technique, with the goal of identifying the method that best correlates with He-3 MRI, the existing MRI standard for quantitating lung ventilation. 3. Compare the diagnostic performance of oxygen-enhanced MRI, He-3 MRI and CT in differentiating patients with normal functioning lung transplants from patients with BOS stage 1 or greater.