"Healthy volunteers aged 18 to 85 will undergo ¹⁹F (perfluoropropane) MRI to support the development of imaging sequences, reconstruction algorithms, and hardware necessary for acquiring high-spatial resolution lung images. The study will also evaluate signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, spatial resolution, scan duration, and pulmonary gas exchange measurements derived from ¹⁹F (perfluoropropane) MRI.
Briefly, during this two-hour visit, participants will provide written informed consent and then undergo: 1. Brief medical history and vital signs, 2. Full pulmonary function tests, 3. Proton MRI, 4. 19F(perfluoropropane) MRI, As part of the MRI, participants will inhale or 19F gas as a contrast agent to assess lung ventilation Spirometry will be performed at each visit according to American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines using MedGraphics Elite Series (MedGraphics Corporation. St. Paul, MN USA) and/or nDD EasyOne Spirometer (nDD Medical Technologies Inc. Andover, MA USA). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) will be measured using the NIOX VERO® (Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Morrisville, NC, USA). All measurements will be performed at St Joseph's Healthcare London. They will be placed in the 3T PET/MRI scanner with a coil fitted over their torso and chest. Hearing protection will be provided to muffle the noise produced by the 3D imaging gradient coils. A pulse oximeter lead will be used to monitor heart rate and oxygen saturation. MRI will be performed for up to a period of seven to ten minutes. All imaging will be performed in a "breath-hold" fashion. All participants will have supplemental oxygen provided via nasal cannula at a flow rate of at least two liters per minute during the scanning process. Logs and records of gas exposure will be maintained for every volunteer in this study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
200
19F(perfluoropropane) MRI is an emerging technique for imaging lung ventilation using inhaled, inert fluorinated gas. In contrast to proton-based MRI imaging, perfluoropropane gas is used as a contrast agent to directly visualize the airways, and thus ventilation. In this study, we aim to develop and evaluate an inert fluorinated gas-based MRI (19F MRI) technique to enhance non-invasive imaging in healthy adults without a history of acute or chronic respiratory disease.
St Joseph's Healthcare London
London, Ontario, Canada
Signal-to-noise ratio, Contrast-to-noise ratio, Image spatial resolution, and scan duration
The primary endpoints are to assess the necessary imaging sequences, reconstruction algorithms, and hardware to acquire high spatial resolution lung images from MRI,
Time frame: 5 years
Ventilation Defect Percent (VDP) of the lung
VDP is a widely used noble gas MRI biomarkers that is calculated by normalizing ventilation defect volume to the thoracic cavity.
Time frame: 5 years
Fractional Ventilation (r)
Fractional Ventilation (r) is a quantitative imaging biomarker representing the fraction of gas volume in a lung region that is replaced by fresh inhaled air during a single breath. It is calculated using gas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), where dynamic imaging tracks the wash-in and wash-out of inhaled gases (e.g., 19F (perfluoropropane)) within lung voxels. Fractional ventilation provides a regional measure of pulmonary ventilation efficiency and heterogeneity.
Time frame: 5 years
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