Feasibility, Repeatability, and Correlation to Lung Function of Phase-Resolved Functional Lung (PREFUL) MRI-derived Pulmonary Artery Pulse Wave Velocity Measurements

Marius M Wernz; Andreas Voskrebenzev; Robin A Müller; Maximilian Zubke; Filip Klimeš; Julian Glandorf; Christoph Czerner; Frank Wacker; Karen M Olsson; Marius M Hoeper; Jens M Hohlfeld; Jens Vogel-Claussen

doi:10.1002/jmri.29337

Feasibility, Repeatability, and Correlation to Lung Function of Phase-Resolved Functional Lung (PREFUL) MRI-derived Pulmonary Artery Pulse Wave Velocity Measurements

J Magn Reson Imaging. 2024 Mar 9. doi: 10.1002/jmri.29337. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marius M Wernz^{1

2}, Andreas Voskrebenzev^{1

2}, Robin A Müller^{1

2}, Maximilian Zubke^{1

2}, Filip Klimeš^{1

2}, Julian Glandorf^{1

2}, Christoph Czerner³, Frank Wacker^{1

2}, Karen M Olsson^{2

4}, Marius M Hoeper^{2

4}, Jens M Hohlfeld^{2

4

5}, Jens Vogel-Claussen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
² Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany.
³ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
⁴ Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
⁵ Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Hannover, Germany.

PMID: 38460124
DOI: 10.1002/jmri.29337

Abstract

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the pulmonary arteries (PA) is a marker of vascular stiffening. Currently, only phase-contrast (PC) MRI-based options exist to measure PA-PWV.

Purpose: To test feasibility, repeatability, and correlation to clinical data of Phase-Resolved Functional Lung (PREFUL) MRI-based calculation of PA-PWV.

Study type: Retrospective.

Subjects: 79 (26 female) healthy subjects (age range 19-78), 58 (24 female) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, age range 40-77), 60 (33 female) patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension (PH, age range 28-85).

Sequence: 2D spoiled gradient echo, 1.5T.

Assessment: PA-PWV was measured from PREFUL-derived cardiac cycles based on the determination of temporal and spatial distance between lung vasculature voxels using a simplified (sPWV) method and a more comprehensive (cPWV) method including more elaborate distance calculation. For 135 individuals, PC MRI-based PWV (PWV-QA) was measured.

Statistical tests: Intraclass-correlation-coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CoV) were used to test repeatability. Nonparametric tests were used to compare cohorts. Correlation of sPWV/cPWV, PWV-QA, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV₁ ) %predicted, residual volume (RV) %predicted, age, and right heart catheterization (RHC) data were tested. Significance level α = 0.05 was used.

Results: sPWV and cPWV showed no significant differences between repeated measurements (P-range 0.10-0.92). CoV was generally lower than 15%. COPD and PH patients had significantly higher sPWV and cPWV than healthy subjects. Significant correlation was found between sPWV or cPWV and FEV₁ %pred. (R = -0.36 and R = -0.44), but not with RHC (P-range -0.11 - 0.91) or age (P-range 0.23-0.89). Correlation to RV%pred. was significant for cPWV (R = 0.42) but not for sPWV (R = 0.34, P = 0.055). For all cohorts, sPWV and cPWV were significantly correlated with PWV-QA (R = -0.41 and R = 0.48).

Data conclusion: PREFUL-derived PWV is feasible and repeatable. PWV is increased in COPD and PH patients and correlates to airway obstruction and hyperinflation.

Level of evidence: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Keywords: COPD; lung; pulmonary circulation; pulmonary hypertension; pulse wave velocity.

Grants and funding

German Center for Lung Research (DZL)