The purpose of this study was to extend established methods for fractional ventilation
mapping using 19F MRI of inert fluorinated gases to rat models of pulmonary inflammation
and fibrosis. In this study, five rats were instilled with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the lungs
two days prior to imaging, six rats were instilled with bleomycin in the lungs two weeks prior
to imaging and an additional four rats were used as controls. 19F MR lung imaging was
performed at 3 T with rats continuously breathing a mixture of sulfur hexafluoride and O2 …

Methods: 11 male Sprague Dawley rats (344±26 g) were imaged in this study using an
animal care protocol approved by the local animal care committee. 6 rats were instilled with
a dose of 2.5 mg/kg LPS two days prior to imaging. The remaining 5 rats were used as
controls. Imaging was performed using a 3.0 T Philips Achieva scanner and a home-built
linear dual-tuned 1H/19F transmit/receive birdcage coil. Following preparation, rats were
ventilated with a mixture of 80% sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and 20% O2 using a custom-built …