The goal of this study is to compare the capabilities of two novel imaging techniques: conventional 'thermally' polarized perfluorinated gases (perfluoropropane, or PFP) mixed with oxygen, and hyperpolarized xenon (129Xe) mixed with N2 to detect changes in lung ventilation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although considerable work has been done internationally with hyperpolarized xenon MRI, the low availability and high cost of this technique is limiting. Perfluorinated gas MRI is an alternative that may in fact be a suitable, simpler alternative. PFP is commercially availability in large quantities, which allows multiple breath studies and thus provides the ability to analyze gas wash-in and wash-out kinetics. These endpoints may improve the investigators ability to detect ventilation abnormalities beyond the traditional ventilation defect percentage parameter obtained with 129Xe MRI. The commercial availability of PFP and lack of need for onsite hyperpolarization may also facilitate the transfer of this technology to other centers for the conduct of multicenter studies. The investigators hypothesize that 19F MRI will not be inferior to hyperpolarized xenon MRI in detection of ventilation defect percentages (VDP).
This study is designed to compare the capabilities of two novel imaging techniques: polarized perfluorinated gas mixed with oxygen, and hyperpolarized xenon mixed with N2 to detect changes in lung ventilation using MRI.