High spatial resolution hyperpolarized

Hyperpolarized (HP) gas MRI of the rodent lung is of great interest because of the increasing need for novel biomarkers with which to develop new therapies for respiratory diseases. The use of fast gradient-recalled echo (FGRE) for high-resolution HP gas rodent lung MRI is challenging as a result of signal loss caused by significant diffusion weighting, particularly in the larger airways. In this work, a modified FGRE approach is described for HPHPX-centric provided improved signal-to-noise ratio efficiency by a factor of up to 13/1.7 and 6.7/1.8, compared with the partial-echo FGRE for the airways/parenchyma of mouse and rat, respectively, at high spatial resolutions in vivo (78 µm). In particular, rodent major airways with less restricted diffusion ofThe x-centric method significantly reduces diffusion weighting, allowing high spatial and temporal resolution HP