title: Comparison of Inner Ear Contrast Enhancement among Patients with Unilateral Inner Ear Symptoms in MR Images Obtained 10 Minutes and 4 Hours after Gadolinium Injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recently 4-hour delayed-enhanced 3D-FLAIR MR imaging has been used in pathophysiologic analysis of the inner ear in many auditory diseases, including sudden sensorineural hearing loss, but comparison among different time points is not clear in patients with unilateral inner ear symptoms. We compared the signal-intensity ratios of the inner ears in patients with unilateral inner ear symptoms on 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced 3D-FLAIR MR images after IV gadolinium injection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced 3D-FLAIR MR images were retrospectively analyzed. Signal-intensity ratios between the cerebellum and inner ear structures, such as the cochleae, vestibules, and vestibulocochlear nerve were assessed. Multiple comparisons were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Signal-intensity ratios of the affected cochleae, vestibules, and vestibulocochlear nerve were higher than those of unaffected sides in both 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced images. At the affected side, signal-intensity ratios of the vestibulocochlear nerve were higher in patients with nonsudden sensorineural hearing loss than in those with sudden sensorineural hearing loss on both 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced images. The signal-intensity ratios of some affected inner ear structures were higher than those of the unaffected sides in a group of 30 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and 20 patients with nonsudden sensorineural hearing loss on 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Signal-intensity ratios of the inner ear show statistically significant increases in many diseases, especially neuritis, in 10-minute delayed-enhanced and 4-hour delayed-enhanced images. The 4-hour delayed-enhanced images may be superior in neural inflammatory-dominant conditions, while 10-minute delayed-enhanced images may be superior in neural noninflammatory-dominant conditions.
authors: From the Departments of Radiology (T.Y.K., D.W.P., S.L.).
authors: T Y
authors: TY
authors: Kim
authors: From the Departments of Radiology (T.Y.K., D.W.P., S.L.) dwpark@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors: D W
authors: DW
authors: Park
authors: Department of Radiology (Y.J.L., J.Y.L.), Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors: Y J
authors: YJ
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Radiology (Y.J.L., J.Y.L.), Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors: J Y
authors: JY
authors: Lee
authors: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (S.H.L., J.H.C.), Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Republic of Korea.
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Lee
authors: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (S.H.L., J.H.C.), Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Republic of Korea.
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Chung
authors: From the Departments of Radiology (T.Y.K., D.W.P., S.L.).
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003287:Contrast Media; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005682:Gadolinium