Hyperpolarized gas imaging

I found while googling this interesting new uses of the MRI:

•Until recently, MRI images of the lung had been very difficult to obtain due to the low hydrogen content of the lung.
•Hyperpolarized gas imaging requires that the patient inhale a laser-polarized noble or inert gas (xenon or helium). The polarized gas makes it possible for MRI to image the lung.
• This technique has already been successful at imaging the lungs of patients with emphysema and has clearly identified the regions of low ventilation that occur due to the disease .