# Non-invasive Assessment of Pulmonary Vascular Function by MRI in Children with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Correlate with Invasive Measurements

> **NIH NIH K23** · CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2021 · $169,444

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an incurable, progressive disease that affects
both adults and children. While many pathophysiologic similarities exist between adult and
pediatric pulmonary hypertension, the number of life years lost in children is much greater
given limited long-term survival. Pediatric PAH is distinct from adult disease in the fact that the
initial insult occurs during a critical period of maturation and lung development. Hemodynamic
abnormalities in the developing lung may impact treatment response and the natural history of
the disease in ways that have not been shown; and can remain a strong contributing factor in
disease progression. Despite significant unique factors in pediatric PAH, research of this group
is lacking, forcing the use of adult-based guidelines and therapies. As a result, management of
pediatric PAH includes using invasive right heart catheterization (RHC) for serial
diagnostic/prognostic evaluation. Serial RHC is costly, exposes children to repeated
anesthesia and excessive radiation, and importantly, children undergoing catheterization for
PAH may have catastrophic events including cardiorespiratory arrest and death. Despite
these challenges inherent to an invasive procedure, there is no alternative for evaluating
therapeutic direction for pediatric patients. This is a significant factor for the lack of research
and targeted therapies for this vulnerable population.
 Cardiac MRI is the single imaging modality that allows assessment of both the ventricle
and the vasculature involved in PAH pathophysiology, without radiation exposure or
anesthesia in older children. In adult studies, MRI is emerging as a technique for evaluating
vascular function, including, recently, vorticity and helicity by 4-dimensional (4D) velocity-
encoded MRI. MRI also has the ability to evaluate the pulmonary vascular structure with high
spatial resolution and may demonstrate developmental vascular changes in PAH. Our overall
hypothesis is that MRI will reflect pulmonary hemodynamic status in patients with PAH similar
to conventional RHC. Our long-range goal is to show that non-invasive imaging modality can
diagnose and serially monitor PAH children and possibly minimize the need for RHC.
Furthermore, novel vascular imaging by 4D MRI, along with conventional MRI, in the proximal
vasculature will quantify significant alterations in maturing vascular function in children with
PAH. MRI may be a powerful in identifying targeted therapy unique for children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10872008
- **Project number:** 7K23HL135352-06
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Uyen T Truong
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $169,444
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2017-08-14 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10872008

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10872008, Non-invasive Assessment of Pulmonary Vascular Function by MRI in Children with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Correlate with Invasive Measurements (7K23HL135352-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10872008. Licensed CC0.

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