Free-Breathing Functional Pulmonary Proton MRI: A Novel Approach Using Voxel-Wise Lung Ventilation (VOLVE) Assessment in Healthy Volunteers and Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: In respiratory medicine, there is a need for sensitive measures of regional lung function that can be performed using standard imaging technology, without the need for inhaled or intravenous contrast agents.

Purpose: To describe VOxel-wise Lung VEntilation (VOLVE), a new method for quantifying regional lung ventilation (V) and perfusion (Q) using free-breathing proton MRI, and to evaluate VOLVE in healthy never-smokers, healthy people with smoking history, and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Study Type: Prospective pilot.

Population: Twelve healthy never-smoker participants (age 30.3 ± 12.5 years, five male), four healthy participants with smoking history (>10 pack-years) (age 42.5 ± 18.3 years, one male), and 12 participants with COPD (age 62.8 ± 11.1 years, seven male).

Field Strength/sequence: Single-slice free-breathing two-dimensional fast field echo sequence at 3 T.

Assessment: A novel postprocessing was developed to evaluate the MR signal changes in the lung parenchyma using a linear regression-based approach, which makes use of all the data in the time series for maximum sensitivity. V/Q-weighted maps were produced by computing the cross-correlation, lag and gradient between the respiratory/cardiac phase time course and lung parenchyma signal time courses. A comparison of histogram median and skewness values and spirometry was performed.

Statistical Tests: Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn's multiple comparison tests to compare VOLVE metrics between groups; Spearman correlation to assess the correlation between MRI and spirometry-derived parameters; and Bland-Altman analysis and coefficient of variation to evaluate repeatability were used. A P-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Significant differences between the groups were found for ventilation between healthy never-smoker and COPD groups (median XCC, Lag, and Grad) and perfusion (median XCC, Lag, and Grad). Minimal bias and no significant differences between intravisit scans were found (P range = 0.12-0.97).

Data Conclusion: This preliminary study showed that VOLVE has potential to provide metrics of function quantification.

Level Of Evidence: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.