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Hyperpolarized Nuclei for NMR Imaging and Spectroscopy - Lunds ...

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3.8.1 The alveolar diffusion model<br />

The calculations were based on the diffusion of 129 Xe gas from the alveolar<br />

space to the pulmonary capillaries in a single-alveolus model. The model<br />

defined three compartments: the alveolar gas space, the lung tissue, <strong>and</strong> the<br />

capillary blood surrounding the alveolus (Figure 9a). Fick’s laws of diffusion<br />

(Fick 1855, Dowse et al. 2000) were used to describe the transport of 129 Xe<br />

within the tissue <strong>and</strong> capillary. A simple relation was derived, from which<br />

the total thickness L (= L t + L b) of the respiratory membrane could be calculated<br />

from the measured uptake time constant τ 1:<br />

34<br />

L ≈ D<br />

π<br />

τ1<br />

. [25]<br />

2<br />

Here, D is the diffusion constant <strong>for</strong> Xe (∼1·10 –9 m 2 s –1 in plasma<br />

(Wolber et al. 2000c)). From this model, it could be shown that the amplitudes<br />

of the spectral peaks corresponding to tissue <strong>and</strong> capillary compartments,<br />

respectively, were characterized by an exponential increase during the<br />

early phase, followed by a linear increase with time (Figure 9b). It was further<br />

demonstrated that the slope <strong>and</strong> intercept parameters could be used <strong>for</strong><br />

calculating several physiological parameters (see section 3.8.2).<br />

a Lt Lc b<br />

blood<br />

without Xe<br />

r a<br />

gas tissue capillary<br />

F<br />

Signal<br />

Sa (0)<br />

Sa0<br />

St0<br />

Sb0<br />

slope St1<br />

slope Sb1<br />

Alveolar gas signal<br />

Tissue signal<br />

Blood signal<br />

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5<br />

Time (s)<br />

Figure 9. a) The single-alveolus diffusion model. The radius of the alveolar gas<br />

space is denoted by r a <strong>and</strong> the thickness of the tissue <strong>and</strong> capillary compartments<br />

by L t <strong>and</strong> L c, respectively. F is the blood flow passing the alveolar<br />

unit. b) Simulations of gas, tissue, <strong>and</strong> blood (RBC) 129 Xe signals<br />

during the diffusion from alveolus to pulmonary capillaries.

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