Magnetic Resonance Imaging with laser polarized {sup 129}Xe

• Published in: AIP conference proceedings Vol. 421; no. 1
• Main Authors: Swanson, Scott D., Rosen, Matthew S., Agranoff, Bernard W., Coulter, Kevin P., Welsh, Robert C., Chupp, Timothy E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 20.01.1998
• Subjects: BLOOD; BLOOD FLOW; BRAIN; HEAD; IMAGE PROCESSING; LASER RADIATION; LUNGS; NMR IMAGING; NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE; ORIENTED NUCLEI; POLARIZATION; RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; RATS; XENON 129
• DOI: 10.1063/1.55021
• ISSN: 0094-243X

Magnetic Resonance Imaging with laser-polarized {sup 129}Xe can be utilized to trace blood flow and perfusion in tissue for a variety of biomedical applications. Polarized xenon gas introduced in to the lungs dissolves in the blood and is transported to organs such as the brain where it accumulates in the tissue. Spectroscopic studies combined with imaging have been used to produce brain images of {sup 129}Xe in the rat head. This work establishes that nuclear polarization produced in the gas phases survives transport to the brain where it may be imaged. Increases in polarization and delivered volume of {sup 129}Xe will allow clinical measurements of regional blood flow.