Xenoview provided a functional alternative in lung imaging, where standard scans show structure well but reveal little about which regions actually ventilate.
Its xenon nuclei are hyperpolarized to make them detectable by MRI, producing regional ventilation maps without ionizing radiation. Inhaled during a single breath hold, it is approved for MRI evaluation of lung ventilation in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older.
Xenoview is the first inhaled contrast agent approved for lung MRI, but adoption depends on sites installing a polarizer and xenon-capable MRI coils. That capital and workflow requirement, rather than clinical value, is the principal constraint on its use.
