Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension in Rats Using Radial Scanning with Retrospective Gating

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with radial scanning, images of intact rat lungs and rat lungs with pulmonary hypertension were obtained. The retrospective gating method was applied to construct images of rat lungs during inspiration and expiration phases. Lung volumes at both respiratory phases, relative tidal volume, and the percentage of lung lesions were calculated. Lung volumes at inspiration and expiration were greater by ~4 and ~18%, respectively, and the relative lung tidal volume was lower by ~2.8 times than in intact rats. Constructed fractional ventilation maps showed a ~2.6-fold decrease in ventilation values in the pathological area. Thus, the application of the retrospective gating method allows detecting changes in lung volumes and ventilation, confirming the presence of pathology and its impact on the respiratory function.