Applications accessible with both MagniXene™ and MagniLium™

Both MagniXene™ and MagniLium™ can interrogate physical properties and composition of the air space in the lungs. Scanners can follow the time dependence and spatial distribution of the inspired gas. Once the gas is inside, the local distance scales of its spatial gaseous diffusion can indirectly reveal the presence or absence of alveolar septal walls. Longer time diffusion can distinguish whether the gas is traveling along the branching structure of the airway tree or hopping from one branch to another via “collateral ventilation” pathways. The time it takes for the signal to decay in each part of the lung indicates how much oxygen is locally present.

MagniXene™ and MagniLium™ have differences in their properties that could offer advantages and disadvantages. Helium diffuses through longer distances in shorter time periods, while xenon has a lower diffusion constant. Consequently helium may be more sensitive to diseases that alter the long distance structure of lungs, while xenon may be more sensitive to microscopic changes. The low diffusion of xenon may allow sharper images than with helium, however helium has more intrinsic signal strength than xenon. Since both MagniXene™ and MagniLium™ are capable of performing similar measurements within the gas space of lungs, clinical researchers are seeking to determine how precisely these quantities can ultimately be measured, and whether one of the gases is better than the other.