Hyperpolarized helium-3 mouse lung MRI: Studies of lung structure and function

Hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of human and animal lungs has displayed promising and useful applications to studies of lung structure and function in both healthy and diseased lungs. Hyperpolarized 3He MRI allows the visualization of gas in the gas-exchange spaces of the lungs (as opposed to tissue) and has proven especially effective in studying diseases that are characterized by ventilation defects, such as emphysema. In particular, in-vivo measurements of the 3He apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) can quantify lung structure by measuring its restrictive effects on the motion of 3He spins. This allows for detection and longitudinal tracking of changes in micro-architecture that result from disease destruction of alveolar walls. Due, in part, to the difficulties inherent in administering and imaging hyperpolarized 3He within the small (0.5 cc volume) mouse lung, applications of hyperpolarized 3He MRI techniques to laboratory mice are scarce. We have been able to implement and improve the techniques of hyperpolarized 3He mouse lung MRI and subsequently apply them to studies of several mouse models of disease, including elastase-induced emphysema, smoking-induced emphysema, and lung cancer. Here we detail the design, development, and implementation of a versatile, electronically-controlled, small animal ventilator that is capable of delivering tiny volumes of hyperpolarized 3He, mixed with oxygen, to the mouse and is also compatible with both the easily depolarized 3He gas and the highly magnetic environment within and around an imaging magnet. Also described are NM techniques developed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of our images and effectively utilize the gas hyperpolarization. Applications of these technologies and techniques to small animal models of disease are presented wherein we have measured up to a 35% increase in 3He ADC in mice with elastase-induced emphysema as compared to healthy mice. We also demonstrate the potential applicability of these measurements to smoking induced emphysema. In mice with lung cancer, we provide lung ventilation maps of the diseased mouse lung, and show that 3He diffusion is relatively unaffected by the presence of lung tumors.