Fig. 7.

Inhaled hp ¹²⁹Xe images from saline treated rat (sham) and bleomycin treated rat (fibrosis model). Images (A–C) from sham instillation of saline into the left lung. (A) Gas phase ¹²⁹Xe image from the airspaces. (B) Tissue phase ¹²⁹Xe image from the lung parenchyma. (C) Red blood cell (RBC) phase ¹²⁹Xe image. (D–F) Comparable images 11 days after bleomycin instillation into the left lung with D, E and F representing the gas phase, tissue phase and RBC phase images respectively. Note that the tissue images closely match the gas phase images in both rats whilst the RBC phase images show almost absent uptake of ¹²⁹Xe by the RBCs in the bleomycin treated lung in the time-frame of the MRI experiment as compared to the sham treated rat, indicating thickening of the alveolar membrane (fibrosis). Reprinted with permission from Driehuys et al. P. Ntl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2006; 103:18280. © 2006 National Academy of Sciences, USA.