Functional Pulmonary Proton MRI: Voxel-wise Linear-fitting Ventilation (VOLVE) Assessment in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

The VOLVE (VOxel-wise Linear fit VEntilation, VOLVE) method, whereby voxel-wise linear fitting between the lung-diaphragm navigator signal and lung parenchyma MR signal is used to assess regional ventilation, was investigated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD). Fractional ventilation (FV) maps derived from phase-resolved functional lung imaging (PREFUL) were also determined. Significant differences between the healthy and the lung disease groups were found, indicating the sensitivity of these techniques to emphysematous lung disease.