Evaluation of the anatomical and functional properties of deglutition withvarious kinetic high-speed MRI sequences

We evaluated various fast MR sequences for obtaining anatomical and dynamic functional information during deglutition. Seven healthy volunteers underw ent MRI of the oropharynx during swallowing of an oral positive-contrast ag ent. Single-slice imaging was performed in the median sagittal plane while subjects were in a supine position. Twenty serial images were obtained usin g EPI, FLASH, and turbo-FLASH sequences. The dynamic (movement-related) inf ormation and the anatomical resolution of the soft tissues were evaluated d uring deglutition. The FLASH sequence provided high-quality images at rest. During swallowing, however, the images were significantly degraded by move ment artifacts and had inferior temporal resolution. The EPI evidenced bett er temporal resolution, but was degraded by strong distortions and movement artifacts. The turbo-FLASH sequence provided the best temporal resolution and sufficient spatial resolution during motion. This sequence proved optim al for the investigation of swallowing function, and is expected to be of v alue for the documentation of functional disturbances in patients with orop haryngeal pathology. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.