Xenon ventilation MRI in difficult asthma: initial experience in a clinical setting

BACKGROUND: Hyperpolarised gas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to assess ventilation patterns. Previous studies have shown the image-derived metric of ventilation defect per cent (VDP) to correlate with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))/forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV(1) in asthma. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the utility of hyperpolarised xenon-129 ((129)Xe) ventilation MRI in clinical care and examine its relationship with spirometry and other clinical metrics in people seen in a severe asthma service. METHODS: 26 people referred from a severe asthma clinic for MRI scanning were assessed by contemporaneous (129)Xe MRI and spirometry. A subgroup of 18 patients also underwent reversibility testing with spirometry and MRI. Quantitative MRI measures of ventilation were calculated, VDP and the ventilation heterogeneity index (VH(I)), and compared to spirometry, Asthma Control Questionnaire 7 (ACQ7) and blood eosinophil count. Images were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. RESULTS: VDP and VH(I) correlated with FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC but not with ACQ7 or blood eosinophil count. Discordance of MRI imaging and symptoms and/or pulmonary function tests also occurred, prompting diagnostic re-evaluation in some cases. CONCLUSION: Hyperpolarised gas MRI provides a complementary method of assessment in people with difficult to manage asthma in a clinical setting. When used as a tool supporting clinical care in a severe asthma service, occurrences of discordance between symptoms, spirometry and MRI scanning indicate how MRI scanning may add to a management pathway.