Magnetic Resonance (MR) in Asthmatic Patients

MR Perfusion Imaging in Asthmatic Patients

Asthma is a disease of small airways. Affected areas have reduced lung ventilation causing reflex vasoconstriction. MR perfusion imaging of the lungs is a sensitive method of imaging zonal lung perfusion.

A cohort of 70 Asthmatic Patients and 10 controls, both sets of subjects have HRCT, MRI/A of the Thorax, and Pulmonary Function Tests to correlate the degree of pulmonary dysfunction with findings on imaging tests.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All asthmatic patients are eligible.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients in whom MRI is contraindicated