Lung Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Prediction of Progression in Patients With Nonidiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Interstitial Lung Disease: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: Correlate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters at baseline with disease progression in nonidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Materials And Methods: Prospective observational cohort study, in which patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ILD underwent MRI at baseline (1.5 T). T2-weighted images (T2-WI) were acquired by axial free-breathing respiratory-gated fat-suppressed "periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction" and T1-weighted images (T1-WI) by coronal end-expiratory breath-hold fat-suppressed "volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination" sequences, before and at time points T1, T3, T5, and T10 minutes after gadolinium administration. After MRI segmentation, signal intensity values were extracted by dedicated software. Percentage of the ILD volume and a ratio between signal intensity of ILD (SI ILD ) and normal lung (SI normal lung ) were calculated for T2-WI; percentage of signal intensity (%SI) at each time point, time to peak enhancement, and percent relative enhancement of ILD in comparison with normal lung (%SI ILD/normal lung ) were calculated for T1-WI. MRI parameters at baseline were correlated with diagnosis of disease progression and variation in percent predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC) and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide after 12 months.

Results: Comprehensive MRI evaluation (T2-WI and T1-WI) was performed in 21 of the 25 patients enrolled (68% females; mean age: 62.6 y). Three of the 24 patients who completed follow-up fulfilled criteria for disease progression. Baseline T2-WI SI ILD /SI normal lung was higher for the progression group ( P = 0.052). T2-WI SI ILD /SI normal lung and T1-WI %SI ILD/normal lung at T1 were positively correlated with the 12-month variation in %FVC ( r = 0.495, P = 0.014 and r = 0.489, P = 0.034, respectively).

Conclusions: Baseline MRI parameters correlate with %FVC decline after 12 months.