Visualization of human inner ear anatomy with high-resolution MR imaging at 7T: initial clinical assessment.
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol
; 36(2): 378-83, 2015 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25147195
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
In many centers, MR imaging of the inner ear and auditory pathway performed on 1.5T or 3T systems is part of the preoperative work-up of cochlear implants. We investigated the applicability of clinical inner ear MR imaging at 7T and compared the visibility of inner ear structures and nerves within the internal auditory canal with images acquired at 3T. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
Thirteen patients with sensorineural hearing loss eligible for cochlear implantation underwent examinations on 3T and 7T scanners. Two experienced head and neck radiologists evaluated the 52 inner ear datasets. Twenty-four anatomic structures of the inner ear and 1 overall score for image quality were assessed by using a 4-point grading scale for the degree of visibility.RESULTS:
The visibility of 11 of the 24 anatomic structures was rated higher on the 7T images. There was no significant difference in the visibility of 13 anatomic structures and the overall quality rating. A higher incidence of artifacts was observed in the 7T images.CONCLUSIONS:
The gain in SNR at 7T yielded a more detailed visualization of many anatomic structures, especially delicate ones, despite the challenges accompanying MR imaging at a high magnetic field.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
/
Ear, Inner
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol
Year:
2015
Document type:
Article