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System for in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of lungs using perfluorinated gas mixtures

  • US 9,254,098 B2
  • Filed: 02/16/2011
  • Issued: 02/09/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An MRI system, comprising:

  • an MRI scanner comprising a magnet with a magnetic field and an RF coil configured to obtain 1H MRI signal data;

    an RF coil configured to obtain 19F MRI signal data and sized and configured to reside proximate a patient, wherein the RF coil configured to obtain the 19F MRI signal data can be the same as the RF coil configured to obtain the 1H MRI signal data or can be a different RF coil;

    an MRI scanner interface in communication with the MRI scanner and in communication with the RF coil configured to obtain the 1H MRI signal data and the RF coil configured to obtain the 19F MRI signal data, the interface comprising a proton blocking circuit; and

    a gas delivery system comprising;

    a pressurized canister of a medical grade gas mixture comprising perfluourinated gas in a level that is between about 20-79% and oxygen gas in a level that is at least about 20.5%, wherein the pressurized canister holds the gas mixture in a gaseous state at room temperature;

    a gas flow path in communication with the gas mixture source comprising at least one conduit extending from the gas mixture source to a free-breathing dispensing member adapted to reside over, on or in a respective patient while the patient resides inside the magnetic field to deliver the gas mixture; and

    at least one oxygen sensor in communication with the gas mixture;

    wherein, in operation, the MRI scanner is configured to obtain 1H and 19F MRI signal data of lung regions of the patient and generate images showing a temporal and spatial distribution of the perfluorinated gas, wherein the MRI scanner is configured to acquire the 19F MRI signal data while the patient carries out at least one of the following;

    (a) free-breathing of the gas mixture during equilibrium and wash in and/or wash out for a plurality of respiratory cycles;

    (b) a single or a plurality of breath holds of the gas mixture;

    or (c) a forced ejection volume (FEV) of the gas mixture,wherein the MRI scanner and/or an image analysis circuit comprising at least one processor in communication with the MRI scanner is configured to (i) generate a visual output of a graphic analysis fit to a lung model of ventilation wash-in and/or wash-out with a plurality of MRI images depicting functional information and (ii) register 19F MRI lung images to a set of 1H MRI lung images of the patient, create lung masks from the 1H MRI images, apply the created masks to the registered 19F MRI images, then extract summary parameters from the 19F MRI signal data to assess ventilation defects.

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