Current issues in hyperpolarized gases in MRI: biomedical investigations and clinical applications

Automated Hyperpolarized Xe Gas Generator for Biomedical MRI/MRS Applications

Introduction The hyperpolarization (HP) technique can increase the signal sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) ten thousand times for He and Xe, and thus it enables instantaneous imaging of cavity gases [1, 2]. This technology has been expected to be a practical technology for the development of medical equipment that enables instantaneous evaluation of lung functions, and the early ...

Cardiovascular Applications of Hyperpolarized MRI

Many applications of MRI are limited by an inherently low sensitivity. Previous attempts to overcome this insensitivity have focused on the use of MRI systems with stronger magnetic fields. However, the gains that can be achieved in this way are relatively small and increasing the magnetic field invariably leads to greater technical challenges. More recently, the development of a range of techn...

Hyperpolarized xenon for NMR and MRI applications.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and imaging (MRI) suffer from intrinsic low sensitivity because even strong external magnetic fields of ~10 T generate only a small detectable net-magnetization of the sample at room temperature (1). Hence, most NMR and MRI applications rely on the detection of molecules at relative high concentration (e.g., water for imaging of biological tissue) o...

Current Issues in MRI Safety

MRI of the lungs using hyperpolarized noble gases.

The nuclear spin polarization of the noble gas isotopes (3)He and (129)Xe can be increased using optical pumping methods by four to five orders of magnitude. This extraordinary gain in polarization translates directly into a gain in signal strength for MRI. The new technology of hyperpolarized (HP) gas MRI holds enormous potential for enhancing sensitivity and contrast in pulmonary imaging. Thi...