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3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging noise in standard head and neck sequence does not cause temporary threshold shift in high frequency

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Abstract

High acoustic noise level is one of the unavoidable side effects of 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A case of hearing loss after 3 T MRI has been reported in this institution and hence this study. The objective of this study was to determine whether temporary threshold shift (TTS) in high frequency hearing occurs in patients undergoing 3 T MRI scans of the head and neck. A total of 35 patients undergoing head and neck 3 T MRI for various clinical indications were tested with pure tone audiometry in different frequencies including high frequencies, before and after the MRI scan. Any threshold change from the recorded baseline of 10 dB was considered significant. All patients were fitted with foamed 3 M earplugs before the procedure following the safety guidelines for 3 T MRI. The mean time for MRI procedure was 1,672 s (range 1,040–2,810). The noise dose received by each patient amounted to an average of 3,906.29 % (1,415–9,170 %). The noise dose was derived from a normograph used by Occupational Noise Surveys. This was calculated using the nomograph of L eq, L EX, noise dose and time. There was no statistically significant difference between the hearing threshold before and after the MRI procedures for all the frequencies (paired t test, P > 0.05). For patients using 3 M foamed earplugs, noise level generated by 3 T MRI during routine clinical sequence did not cause any TTS in high frequency hearing.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Siti Hufaidah Konting, Wui Ai Leng, Nor Azurah Abd Aziz and Abd Rahim Mohd Hashim for their contribution in data collection. This study was funded by University Malaya Research Grant (RG 198/10 HTM). The authors also thank Terence Khai Wei Tay for the assistance in statistic analysis and collecting data.

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None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ORL Department, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Elizabeth Yenn Lynn Lim, Ing Ping Tang, Prepageran Narayanan & Raman Rajagopalan

  2. Opthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Mohammadreza Peyman

  3. Department of Diagnostic and Bioimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Norlisah Ramli

  4. A5-1 Laman Impian Garden Villas, Jalan PJU 3/24, Sunway Damansara, 47810, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

    Elizabeth Yenn Lynn Lim

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Yenn Lynn Lim
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  2. Ing Ping Tang
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  3. Mohammadreza Peyman
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  4. Norlisah Ramli
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  5. Prepageran Narayanan
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  6. Raman Rajagopalan
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Yenn Lynn Lim.

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Medical Ethics Committee approval: (MEC Ref. No.: 750.24).

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Lim, E.Y.L., Tang, I.P., Peyman, M. et al. 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging noise in standard head and neck sequence does not cause temporary threshold shift in high frequency. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 272, 3109–3113 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-014-3232-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-014-3232-y

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