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DOES MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING NOISE AFFECT THE COCHLEA? THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF EARPLUGS

Nevin KÖREMEZLİ KESKİN; 1, MD Merve BAŞDEMİRCİ; 2, MD Onur BAŞDEMİRCİ; 2, MD Emre SÖYLEMEZ; 3, PHD
1Karabük University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Karabük, Türkiye
2Karabük Training and Research Hospital, Department of Radiology, Karabük, Türkiye
3Karabuk University, Department of Audiometry, Karabuk, Türkiye Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces high-intensity acoustic noise that can negatively influence auditory function. This study aimed to examine the effects of noise generated during MRI scans of different body regions on cochlear function and to evaluate the protective effectiveness of hearing protection devices (HPD).

Materials and Methods: A total of 60 individuals were included: 20 who underwent brain MRI without HPD (brain group), 20 who underwent lower extremity MRI without HPD (lower extremity group), and 20 who underwent brain MRI while using HPD (brain+HPD group). Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs) were measured for all participants immediately before and after the MRI procedure.

Results: Following MRI, significant decreases in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz were observed in the brain group (p<0.05). In the lower extremity group, SNR reduction was detected at 4000 Hz (p<0.05), indicating that even MRI scans of non-cranial regions generate noise intense enough to influence cochlear responses. In contrast, the brain+HPD group showed no significant change in SNR values at any tested frequency after MRI (p>0.05).

Conclusions: These findings highlight that MRI-related noise can transiently affect auditory function, and appropriate HPD use effectively minimizes these adverse effects and should therefore be recommended during MRI procedures, especially for high-noise sequences. Keywords : MRI, hearing, DPOAE, cochlea, radiology