MacFall J R, Charles H C, Black R D, Middleton H, Swartz J C, Saam B, Driehuys B, Erickson C, Happer W, Cates G D, Johnson G A, Ravin C E
Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Radiology. 1996 Aug;200(2):553-8. doi: 10.1148/radiology.200.2.8685356.
Two healthy volunteers who had inhaled approximately 0.75 L of laser-polarized helium-3 gas underwent magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T with fast gradient-echo pulse sequences and small flip angles ( < 10 degrees). Thick-section (20 mm) coronal images, time-course data (30 images collected every 1.8 seconds), and thin-section (6 mm) images were acquired. Subjects were able to breathe the gas (12% polarization) without difficulty. Thick-section images were of good quality and had a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 32:1 near the surface coil and 16:1 farther away. The time images showed regional differences, which indicated potential value for quantitation. High-resolution images showed greater detail and a S/N of approximately 6:1.
