Ensuring safety and functionality of electroglottography measurements during dynamic pulmonary MRI

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Physiology
• Acoustics

Background:

• Understanding lung physiology during singing requires integrated vocal tract and lung measurements.
• Dynamic MRI of the lungs offers insights but needs simultaneous vocal fold data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To combine vocal tract measurements with dynamic MRI of the lungs for insights into singing physiology.
• To enable simultaneous electroglottography (EGG) and lung MRI for vocal fold analysis.

Main Methods:

• Modified an electroglottography (EGG) system for simultaneous MR image acquisition.
• Introduced a low-pass filter and used independent component analysis to mitigate radiofrequency (RF) interference in EGG signals.
• Assessed MR safety via RF heating tests and validated EGG functionality in volunteer singing experiments.

Main Results:

• RF heating in a gel phantom was below 1.2°C, ensuring MR safety.
• EGG parameters during MR imaging were within ideal ranges.
• Successful simultaneous EGG recordings and lung diameter measurements with minimal interference were achieved.

Conclusions:

• Electroglottography (EGG) recording is feasible during dynamic lung MRI.
• Glottal activity can be safely studied using this combined technique at 1.5T.