| abstract |
The invention provides a method of detecting regional variations in oxygen uptake from the lungs of an air-breathing animal subject, said method comprising administering into the lungs of said subject a diagnostically effective amount of a gaseous hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging agent, detecting the magnetic resonance signal from said agent in said lungs, determining the temporal variation in relaxation rate for said signal for at least one region of interest within said lungs, and from said variation generating a qualitative or quantitative value or image indicative of the oxygen uptake from the alveolar space in said at least one region of interest. |