Purpose: To evaluate oxygen-enhanced T1-mapping magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the lungs for detection of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in patients who have undergone double lung transplantation.
Materials and methods: The local ethics committee approved this study. Seventy-six recipients of double lung allografts who underwent MR imaging of the lungs during an outpatient visit between 2011 and 2013 were included in this study after they provided written informed consent. Patients were classified as having CLAD on the basis of spirometric results and were divided into three groups: no CLAD (bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome level 0 [BOS 0]), early CLAD (BOS 0p), and late-stage CLAD (BOS 1-3). Coronal T1 maps of the lungs were acquired with the patient breathing room air and 100% oxygen by using an inversion-recovery snapshot fast low-angle shot sequence at 1.5 T. The median and interquartile range of T1 values at room air and at 100% oxygen and the oxygen transfer function were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed with analysis of variance and the Tukey honestly significant difference test or the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test (α = 0.05). Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons.
Results: The oxygen transfer function was significantly lower in patients in the BOS 0p (P = .025) and BOS 1-3 groups (P = .003) than it was in the patients with BOS 0. Absolute T1 values (room air, P = .66; 100% oxygen, P = .67) did not differ significantly among the groups. The heterogeneity of T1 values, measured by using the interquartile range, showed a strong trend toward higher values in patients with BOS (room air, P = .06; 100% oxygen, P = .08).
Conclusion: Oxygen transfer function may serve as an early marker for detection of CLAD.