A portable ventilator with integrated physiologic monitoring for hyperpolarized 129 Xe MRI in rodents.

•A portable rodent ventilator was developed to enable non-invasive, longitudinal 129Xe MRI.•It enables precise delivery of hyperpolarized 129Xe and real-time physiologic monitoring.•The design is inexpensive, fully documented, and links to parts lists, schematics are provided.•The system enabled high-resolution 3D imaging using gated, multi-breath radial acquisitions.•Longitudinal gas-exchange imaging is demonstrated in mice at 2 T, and in rats at 7 T.