Seminar

Medical Physics Seminar – Monday, February 13, 2017

Functional Imaging of the Lungs with Gas Contrast Agents

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speaker

Sean B. Fain, PhD
Professor and Director of the Image Analysis Core Facility, MRI, and CT Imaging, Dept of Medical Physics, UW-School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI - USA

This talk will present the state-of-the-art of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hyperpolarized
(HP) gas, and molecular oxygen and their application to clinical research in pulmonary disease. During
the past several years there has been accelerated development of pulmonary MRI. This has been
driven in part by concerns regarding ionizing radiation using multi-detector computed tomography
(CT). However, MRI also offers capabilities for fast multispectral and functional imaging using gas
agents that are not technically feasible with CT. HP 129Xe in particular is poised for larger scale clinical
research to investigate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and fibrotic lung diseases.
With advances in polarizer technology and unique capabilities for imaging of 129Xe gas exchange into
lung tissue and blood, HP 129Xe MRI is attracting new attention. Recent improvements in gradient
performance and radial acquisition methods using ultrashort echo time (UTE) have also contributed to
advances in oxygen-enhanced imaging as an alternative, more widely available, technique for imaging
of ventilation. UTE MRI also provides a means to provide anatomical imaging of the lungs to provide
complementary structure and function with an MRI-only protocol. Functional lung MRI methods using
these gas agents are improving our understanding of a wide range of chronic lung diseases, including
asthma, cystic fibrosis, and fibrotic lung diseases in both adults and children.

Location: 1325 HSLC (Health Sciences Learning Center), 750 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705

Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm