Comparison of Inert Fluorinated Gas and Hyperpolarized 129Xe Lung MRI Image Quality in Pediatric Participants

Motivation: Inert fluorinated gas MRI with perfluoropropane (PFP-MRI) holds potential as a lower cost alternative to hyperpolarized xenon MRI (Xe-MRI). However, PFP-MRI remains understudied in pediatrics with no comparisons to Xe-MRI in children. Goal(s): To compare image quality of PFP-MRI and Xe-MRI in pediatric participants. Approach: Same-day PFP-MRI and Xe-MRI were performed in 10 pediatric participants. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and normalized signal histograms were compared between techniques. Results: All MRI procedures were feasible and well-tolerated. SNR was significantly higher in Xe-MRI than PFP-MRI. Normalized signal histograms highlight a large degree of overlap between Xe-MRI and PFP-MRI. Impact: PFP-MRI may offer comparable ventilation information to Xe-MRI in children with reduced costs and infrastructure complexity, despite lower SNR and resolution.