Pulmonary functional MRI for COPD

For radiological assessment of COPD, nuclear medicine studies including ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy (V/Q scan) and CT are utilized with pulmonary function tests in routine clinical practice. However, it has been suggested that the V/Q scan has limited spatial and temporal resolution capabilities to measure actual ventilation. Since 2000, pulmonary functional MR imaging has continuously improved due to advances in MRI systems and sequences and the use hyperpolarized noble gas, 100% oxygen, and contrast-media such as gadolinium. These advances have facilitated greater use in routine clinical practice. In this review, I discuss the state of the art of pulmonary functional MRI in COPD.