Registered H-1 and He-3 magnetic resonance microscopy of the lung

Using in vivo magnetic resonance microscopy, registered H-1 and hyperpolari zed He-3 images of the rat lung were obtained with a resolution of 0.098 x 0.098 x 0.469 mm (4.5 x 10(-3) mm(3)). The requisite stability and SNR was achieved through an integration of scan-synchronous ventilation, dual-frequ ency RF coils, anisotropic projection encoding, and variable RF excitation. The total acquisition time was 21 min for the He-3 images and 64 min for t he H-1 image. Airways down to the 6th and 7th orders are clearly visible. ( C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.