Assessing Ventilation and Gas Exchange of Lung Transplant Recipients with Hyperpolarized Xenon-129

Motivation: Improving the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) post-lung transplantation may lead to improved long-term patient outcomes. Goal(s): To identify hyperpolarized xenon-129 imaging markers for more comprehensively evaluating lung function in transplant recipients. Approach: A multi-breath xenon-polarization transfer contrast (XTC) technique was used to quantify ventilation and gas exchange longitudinally in lung transplant patients. Results: Correlations between the derived imaging metrics and current clinical standards for assessing lung function provided additional insight into the functional changes associated with post-transplant recovery or decline. Impact: Hyperpolarized xenon-129 MRI enables more comprehensive assessments of the functional and physiological changes associated with recovery and/or deterioration after lung transplantation, potentially leading to earlier CLAD diagnosis and improved long-term outcomes.