Assessment of lung ventilation of premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 1.5 Tesla using phase-resolved functional lung magnetic resonance imaging

• Published in: Pediatric radiology Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 1076 - 1084
• Main Authors: Dyke, J. P., Voskrebenzev, A., Blatt, L. K., Vogel-Claussen, J., Grimm, R., Worgall, S., Perlman, J. M., Kovanlikaya, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia - diagnostic imaging; Defects; Dysplasia; Female; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Humans; Imaging; Imaging techniques; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infants; Lung - pathology; Lung diseases; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Mathematical analysis; Mechanical ventilation; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neonates; Neuroradiology; Newborn babies; Nuclear Medicine; Oncology; Original Article; Pediatrics; Premature babies; Premature Birth; Prospective Studies; Radiology; Respiratory function; Ultrasound; Ventilation; Ventilators; Premature; Neonatal; Lung; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Ventilation; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Phase resolved functional lung
• ISSN: 1432-1998; 0301-0449; 1432-1998
• DOI: 10.1007/s00247-023-05598-6

Background The most common chronic complication of preterm birth is bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), widely referred to as chronic lung disease of prematurity. All current definitions rely on characterizing the disease based on respiratory support level and do not provide full understanding of the underlying cardiopulmonary pathophysiology. Objective To evaluate a rapid functional lung imaging technique in premature infants and to quantitate pulmonary ventilation using 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods We conducted a prospective MRI study of 12 premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using the phase resolved functional lung MRI technique to calculate pulmonary ventilation parameters in preterm infants with and without BPD grade 0/1 ( n  = 6) and grade 2/3 ( n  = 6). Results The total ventilation defect percentage showed a significant difference between groups (16.0% IQR (11.0%,18%) BPD grade 2/3 vs. 8.0% IQR (4.5%,9.0%) BPD grade 0/1, p = 0.01). Conclusion Phase-resolved functional lung MRI is feasible for assessment of ventilation defect percentages in preterm infants and shows regional variation in localized lung function in this population.