Daniel Tobias Boll MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Jonathan Stuart Lewin MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research Consultant, Interventional Imaging, Inc, Cleveland, OH Stockholder, Interventional Imaging, Inc, Cleveland, OH

Robert Chapman Gilkeson MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research grant, General Electric Company

To prospectively assess MR perfusion patterns of chronic, non-embolic pulmonary diseases and to compare the findings visualized with ultrafast MR perfusion imaging to those of pulmonary, contrast-enhanced multislice CT imaging.

25 patients underwent concurrent CT and MR evaluation of chronic, non-embolic pulmonary diseases of congenital origin. Analysis of MR perfusion and CT datasets was realized by defining pulmonary as well as vascular regions-of-Interest. Utilizing MR imaging, time-intensity curves were plotted. Analogously, contrast-enhanced CT image datasets provided pulmonary signal-to-noise ratio measurements. Vessel centerlines of bronchial arteries were determined. Perfusion type was determined.

Statistical analysis of pulmonary perfusion type detected 20 pulmonary artery perfusion patterns and five bronchial artery perfusion patterns. In patients with pulmonary artery perfusion, MR and multislice CT imaging differed in only four of twenty patients in not more than one lung segment per patient. In patients with systemic bronchial arterial supply, MR perfusion and multislice CT imaging differed in four of five patients in up to three segments per patient. Patients with systemic bronchial arterial supply had bronchial arteries ranging from 2.0 – 3.6 mm compared to the submillimeter diameters in pulmonary perfusion types.

Congenital pulmonary conditions require ultrafast MR imaging in order to successfully detect subtle and masked changes in lung perfusion patterns, especially in the systemic bronchial arterial supply. Presence of hypertrophied bronchial arteries indicated bronchial arterial perfusion with the subsequent need for high temporal resolution perfusion imaging of the pulmonal parenchyma.

Congenital pulmonary conditions require ultrafast MR imaging to successfully detect systemic bronchial arterial supply, a commom perfusion pattern in congenital pulmonary conditions.

Boll, D, Lewin, J, Gilkeson, R, Perfusion Abnormalities in Congenital Pulmonary Disease: Comparison of MR Perfusion and Multislice CT Imaging.  Radiological Society of North America 2006 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 26 - December 1, 2006 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2006/4435372.html