To begin, ensure anyone entering the MRI scanner room has removed all metallic and electronic objects from their body or pockets. Prepare the Xenon 129 vest coil by plugging it into the scanner and placing it on the MRI scanner patient table. Instruct the subject to lie on the patient table in a feet first or head first supine position depending on the layout of the scanner room.
Place pillows under the subject's head, knees, et cetera, as needed to ensure comfort during the procedure. Secure the Xenon 129 vest coil around the subject's chest while keeping the coil midline in the head-foot direction as close as possible to the expected midline of the subject's lungs when the subject is at a comfortable inflation level. Placing the coil to low on the subject may result in undesirable signal reductions at the periphery of the lungs.
Set up an MRI safe pulse oximeter next to the patient table in the MRI scanner room and connect the pulse oximeter probe to the subject. Verify that the pulse oximeter is reading correctly. Place a nasal cannula in the subject's nose and connect it to an oxygen source to be used after dose inhalation if needed.
Place the oxygen tank and regulator in an MRI safe manner based on local safety policy within reachable distance. Advance the patient table into the MRI scanner, aligning the midline of the coil or the subject's lungs to the scanner's isocenter. The images shown here represent the ventilation images from a study that was unknowingly performed using a Xenon 129 vest coil with a damaged cable.
The right lung displays a lower signal-to-noise ratio than the left lung. The ventilation images from a study that was performed with the Xenon 129 vest coil placed too far toward the subject's feet are shown here. Artificially low Xenon 129 signal is observed in both lung apices due to the lack of receiver sensitivity there.
