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Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Tinnitus
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Volume 115 Number6
Leflersto the Editor
587
Itl
Fig. 1. Arrows indicate areas under greatest expansive tension, corresponding to the center of the length of the vessel over the expander.
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15.
16.
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Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Tucson, Ariz., January 1996. Haber J, Gallegos M, Ruiz-Razura A, Shulman A, Cohen BE. Skeletal length maintenance in limb replantation utilizing acute intraoperative vessel elongation. Presented at the llth Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Tucson, Ariz., January 1996. Ruiz-Razura A, Cohen BE. Clinical applications of acute longitudinal expansion for the reconstruction of arterial lesions: experience with twenty cases. In: Reconstructive surgery: current trends. Proceedings from the 12th Symposium of the International Society for Reconstructive Microsnrgery, Singapore, February 1996:467-9. Michelow B, Lovice D, Terzis J. Rapid nerve expansion. Presented at the llth Congress of the International Microsurgical Society, Rhodes, Greece, June 1992. Skoulis T, Terzis J. Use of tissue expander to bridge short nerve gaps. Presented at the 1lth Congress of the International Microsurgical Society, Rhodes, Greece, June 1992. Hall G, Van Way C, Fei TK, Compton-Allen M. Peripheral nerve
elongation with tissue expansion techniques. J Trauma 1993;34: 401-5.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Tinnitus To the Editor: Patients who present with the primary complaint of tinnitus are those considered to have severe tinnitus. Those with severe tinnitus compose approximately 20% of the people who experience tinnitus in any form. There are many causes for tinnitus, including tumors on the eighth nerve. Any patient with unilateral tinnitus for which there is no known cause, such as noise exposure, head injury, ototoxic drugs, and the like, is suspect for the possibility of an eighth nerve tumor. To investigate the possibility of an eighth nerve tumor, the patient is subjected to a brain scan by MRL Unfortunately, MRI is excessively loud and much too loud for
588
Lettersto the Editor
tinnitus patients. Actual sound level measurements of the MRI in operation reveals that it produces 93 dB SPL or more, which is much too loud an exposure for ears afflicted with tinnitus.
We caution that all persons subjected to MRI should do so with ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs. In our tinnitus clinic we have seen two patients who implicate MRI exposure, without ear protection, to their present tinnitus condition. One of these patients claims his tinnitus was initiated by an MRI examination, and the other patient indicates that his tinnitus was exacerbated by the MRI from a mild, infrequent tinnitus to a continuous, severe tinnitus.
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery December 1996
Jack Vernon, PhD Linda Press Trina McLaughlin Oregon Hearing Research Center Department of Otola©'ngology-Head and Neck Surgery Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, OR 97201-3098 23/8/75128
Leflersto the Editor
587
Itl
Fig. 1. Arrows indicate areas under greatest expansive tension, corresponding to the center of the length of the vessel over the expander.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Tucson, Ariz., January 1996. Haber J, Gallegos M, Ruiz-Razura A, Shulman A, Cohen BE. Skeletal length maintenance in limb replantation utilizing acute intraoperative vessel elongation. Presented at the llth Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Tucson, Ariz., January 1996. Ruiz-Razura A, Cohen BE. Clinical applications of acute longitudinal expansion for the reconstruction of arterial lesions: experience with twenty cases. In: Reconstructive surgery: current trends. Proceedings from the 12th Symposium of the International Society for Reconstructive Microsnrgery, Singapore, February 1996:467-9. Michelow B, Lovice D, Terzis J. Rapid nerve expansion. Presented at the llth Congress of the International Microsurgical Society, Rhodes, Greece, June 1992. Skoulis T, Terzis J. Use of tissue expander to bridge short nerve gaps. Presented at the 1lth Congress of the International Microsurgical Society, Rhodes, Greece, June 1992. Hall G, Van Way C, Fei TK, Compton-Allen M. Peripheral nerve
elongation with tissue expansion techniques. J Trauma 1993;34: 401-5.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Tinnitus To the Editor: Patients who present with the primary complaint of tinnitus are those considered to have severe tinnitus. Those with severe tinnitus compose approximately 20% of the people who experience tinnitus in any form. There are many causes for tinnitus, including tumors on the eighth nerve. Any patient with unilateral tinnitus for which there is no known cause, such as noise exposure, head injury, ototoxic drugs, and the like, is suspect for the possibility of an eighth nerve tumor. To investigate the possibility of an eighth nerve tumor, the patient is subjected to a brain scan by MRL Unfortunately, MRI is excessively loud and much too loud for
588
Lettersto the Editor
tinnitus patients. Actual sound level measurements of the MRI in operation reveals that it produces 93 dB SPL or more, which is much too loud an exposure for ears afflicted with tinnitus.
We caution that all persons subjected to MRI should do so with ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs. In our tinnitus clinic we have seen two patients who implicate MRI exposure, without ear protection, to their present tinnitus condition. One of these patients claims his tinnitus was initiated by an MRI examination, and the other patient indicates that his tinnitus was exacerbated by the MRI from a mild, infrequent tinnitus to a continuous, severe tinnitus.
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery December 1996
Jack Vernon, PhD Linda Press Trina McLaughlin Oregon Hearing Research Center Department of Otola©'ngology-Head and Neck Surgery Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, OR 97201-3098 23/8/75128