Comparison of signal- and volume-based ventilation-weighted assessment using 3D FLORET UTE MRI in patients with various pulmonary disease

Motivation: 3D free breathing, contrast-free methods are increasingly used for pulmonary ventilation-weighted assessment. Goal(s): Evaluate the signal-based (RVent-based on lung parenchyma signal changes during respiration) and volume-based (JVent-utilizing the Jacobian determinant of deformation fields) quantification of pulmonary ventilation using 3D UTE MRI in patients with various pulmonary diseases. Approach: Conduct comparisons of RVent/JVent parameters, quantify the spatial overlap, and assess the correlation of their ventilation defect values (VDPs) to 129Xe MRI. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between RVent and JVent parameters, but not in VDPs. The average regional overlap of their defect maps was 84%. VDPRVent showed stronger correlation to VDP129Xe than JVent. Impact: Although both proton lung MRI methods successfully identified ventilation defects, the stronger correlation between signal-based (RVent) and 129Xe MRI indicates that RVent may provide a more reliable assessment of lung ventilation in clinical applications in comparison to volume-based (JVent) parameter.