Systems and methods for assessing pulmonary gas transfer using hyperpolarized 129XE MRI

A method for assessing pulmonary gas exchange and/or thickening or function of the blood-gas barrier of the gas exchange region of the lung or lungs of a patient, comprising:

• obtaining NMR spectroscopy data comprising dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe spectra associated with a red blood cell (RBC) compartment, dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe spectra associated with a blood-gas barrier compartment, and gas phase hyperpolarized 129Xe spectra of an airspace of the lung or lungs of the patient;
• obtaining dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data of each of the RBC and blood-gas barrier compartments, wherein the dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data of the RBC compartment is 90 degrees out of phase relative to the dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data of the blood-gas barrier compartment;
• and
• generating visualizations of the lung or lungs using the obtained dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data with different colors in the generated visualizations corresponding to different barrier compartment thickness over a lung volume of the lung or lungs to thereby facilitate assessment of pulmonary gas exchange, interstitial lung disease or injury or efficacy of a treatment.

A method for providing MRI data of pulmonary gas exchange and/or alveolar-capillary barrier status using hyperpolarized 129Xe, comprising:

• providing an inhalable bolus amount of gas phase hyperpolarized 129Xe to a subject;
• transmitting an RF MRI excitation pulse imaging sequence configured to excite dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe in a gas exchange region of a lung of the subject to obtain 129Xe dissolved phase image data, wherein the RF MRI excitation pulse imaging sequence for the dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe is configured to excite the dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe at a first resonance associated with a red blood cell (RBC) compartment and at a second resonance associated with a barrier compartment, wherein the second resonance is a barrier resonance;
• obtaining gas phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data of the gas exchange region of the lung of the subject and dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data at both the first resonance for the RBC compartment and the second resonance for the barrier compartment;
• generating a three-dimensional 129Xe MR image of a gas exchange region of the lung using the obtained dissolved phase hyperpolarized 129Xe image data of both the RBC compartment and the barrier compartment;
• obtaining NMR spectroscopic data of hyperpolarized 129Xe in the gas exchange region of the lung of the subject;
• and
• deriving an RBC compartment/barrier compartment ratio using the NMR spectroscopic data of the subject,
• wherein the obtaining step is carried out using one or two breath hold supplies of the gas phase hyperpolarized 129Xe.