FUNCTIONAL MRI OF THE PHARYNX IN OBSTRUCT IVE SLEEP-APNEA (OSA) WITH RAPID 2-D FLASH SEQUENCES

Functional imaging of the pharynx used to be the domain of cineradiogr aphy, CT and ultrafast CT, The development of modern MRI techniques le d to new access to functional disorders of the pharynx, The aim of thi s study was to implement a new MRI technique to examine oropharyngeal obstructive mechanisms in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sixteen patients suffering from OSA and 6 healthy volunteers were exa mined on a 1.5 T whole-body imager (''Vision'', Siemens, Erlangen Medi cal Engineering, Germany) using a circular polarized head coil, Imagin g was performed with 2D flash sequences in midsagittal and axial plane s, Patients and volunteers were asked to breathe normally through the nose and to simulate snoring and the Mueller maneuver during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Prior to MRI, all patients underwent an ear, nose and throat (ENT) examination, functional fiberoptic nasopharyngos copy and polysomnography, A temporal resolution of 6 images/s and an i n-plane resolution of 2.67 x 1.8 mm were achieved, The mobility of the tongue, soft palate and pharyngeal surface could be clearly delineate d. The MRI findings correlated well with the clinical examinations, We propose ultrafast MRI as a reliable and non-invasive method of evalua ting pharyngeal obstruction and their levels.