International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 2004
Proton and hyperpolarized helium magnetic resonance imaging of radiation-induced lung injury in rats.
To assess the usefulness of hyperpolarized helium (3He) MRI, including apparent diffusion coefficient measurements, in the detection and evaluation of radiation-induced lung injury in rats. ⋯ This is the first study to show that hyperpolarized 3He MRI can detect radiation-induced lung injury noninvasively. Reduced hyperpolarized 3He ADC values postradiation likely reflect reduced alveolar volumes associated with fibrosis of the interstitium. Future studies at earlier time points may determine whether this noninvasive imaging technique can detect lung damage before clinical symptoms. Development of this new approach of magnetic resonance lung imaging in the rat model of radiation-induced lung injury will increase the ability to develop appropriate algorithms and more accurate models of the normal tissue complication probability.