The noninvasive assessment of lung function using imaging is increasingly of interest for the
study of lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and …

Lung imaging has traditionally relied on x‐ray methods, since proton MRI is limited to some
extent by low proton density in the lung parenchyma and static field inhomogeneities in the …

Hyperpolarized noble gases are a new class of MR contrast agent. Since the first
hyperpolarized gas MR images of the lung were reported, there has been considerable …

Lung diseases affect the conducting airways, the gas exchange parenchyma, or both. As a
result, they have a high impact on patients' morbidity, and quality of life. Chronic obstructive …

The nuclear spin polarization of the noble gas isotopes 3He and 129Xe can be increased
using optical pumping methods by four to five orders of magnitude. This extraordinary gain …

Hyperpolarized gases belong to a new class of MR contrast agents that, when inhaled,
provide high temporal and spatial resolution images of the lung airspaces. At this time …

The invention of hyperpolarized (HP) noble gas MRI using helium-3 (3 He) or xenon-129
(129 Xe) has provided a new method to evaluate lung function. Using HP 3 He or 129 Xe for …

Lung diseases have a high prevalence amongst the world population and their early
diagnosis has been pointed out to be key for successful treatment. However, there is still a …

The magnetization in hyperpolarized gas (HP) MRI is generated by laser polarization that is
independent of the magnet and imaging process. As a consequence, there is no equilibrium …

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lung has shown tremendous progress in recent
years. This includes parallel imaging, new contrast agents and mechanisms, ultrafast …