Chest MRI in patients with cystic fibrosis: a radiation-free method

CT is recognised as the gold standard for the assessment of morphological changes in the airways and lung parenchyma, 2 and is currently the only reliable imaging modality for the diagnosis and monitoring of early CF lung disease. 3 However, compared with other methods, chest CT exposes patients to much higher radiation doses. 4 Considering the necessity of lifelong repeated imaging studies in patients with CF, the cumulative radiation dose reached with CT has restricted its use, especially for short-term follow-up purposes. 4 MRI has therefore been established as a radiation-free alternative to CT for the assessment of lung disease in patients with CF.