Demonstration of a compact compressor for application of metastability-exchange optical pumping of He-3 to human lung imaging

Type of Work

Article

Date

2-1-2000

Journal Title

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Journal ISSN

0740-3194

Journal Volume

43

Journal Issue

2

First Page

290

Last Page

294

DOI

10.1002/(SICI)1522-2594(200002)43:2<290::AID-MRM17>3.0.CO;2-A

Abstract

Hyperpolarized gas magnetic resonance imaging has recently emerged as a method to image lungs, sinuses, and the brain, The best lung images to date have been produced using hyperpolarized He-3, which is produced by either spin-exchange or metastability-exchange optical pumping. For hyperpolarized gas MRI, the metastable method has demonstrated higher polarization levels and higher polarizing rates, but it requires compression of the hyperpolarized gas, Prior to this work, compression of hyperpolarized gas had only been accomplished using a large, complex and expensive apparatus. Here, human lung ventilation images are presented that were obtained using a compact compressor that is relatively simple and inexpensive, For this test, 1.1 bar-L of 15% hyperpolarized He-3 gas was produced at the National Institute of Standards and Technology using a modified commercial diaphragm pump. The hyperpolarized gas was transported to the University of Pennsylvania in a holding field provided by a portable solenoid, (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hamilton Areas of Study

Physics

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