Xenon-129 + perfluoropropane (19F)

Xenon-129 + perfluoropropane (19F) is a diagnostic imaging combination consisting of two inhaled contrast agents used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the lungs. Developed and studied by The Hospital for Sick Children, this approach utilizes hyperpolarized Xenon-129 gas and perfluoropropane (19F) gas to evaluate lung structure and function in patients with pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis and asthma. Xenon-129 is hyperpolarized to significantly enhance the MRI signal, allowing for high-resolution visualization of regional ventilation and gas exchange across the alveolar-capillary membrane. Perfluoropropane is an inert fluorinated gas that, when inhaled as a normoxic mixture (typically 21% oxygen), serves as a contrast agent for 19F MRI to map regional ventilation abnormalities. These imaging modalities provide non-invasive functional biomarkers, including ventilation defect percentages (VDP), which are used to compare diseased and healthy lungs and monitor disease progression.

Other names

Hyperpolarized Xenon-129Inert fluorinated (19F) gasXe-129Xe129Xe 12919F gasPerfluoropropane