Polarean announces publication of study on Xenon MRI

Polarean highlighted the publication of a peer-reviewed clinical study in CHEST. The study demonstrates that structural and functional pulmonary MRI adds important new insights in predicting pulmonary exacerbations beyond standard pulmonary function tests in people living with cystic fibrosis. The study, titled “Structural and Functional Pulmonary MRI to Predict Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis,” analyzed imaging and clinical data from 106 individuals with CF who were imaged and followed at Cincinnati Children’s. Investigators from The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of Toronto, also collaborated on the study and data analysis. The findings show that while structural imaging reflects accumulated disease burden, Xenon MRI ventilation defects provide independent prediction of future exacerbations, even after accounting for prior clinical history and spirometry results. The results indicate that Xenon MRI can detect regional functional changes deep within the lungs that may not be captured by traditional global measures such as spirometry. Specifically, the study found that Xenon MRI measures of ventilation abnormalities, quantified as ventilation defect percent, were significantly associated with future pulmonary exacerbation risk. Individuals with abnormal VDP experienced nearly three times the rate of exacerbations compared with those with normal ventilation, including patients with relatively preserved lung function by conventional pulmonary function testing.