Meyer Co-authors Research Published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Director of the Janette Ogg Voice Research Center and Associate Professor of Voice (Baritone) and Voice Pedagogy David Meyer, D.M., co-authored “A flexible 16-channel custom coil array for accelerated imaging of upper and infraglottic airway at 3 T,” which was recently published in the journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

This research was the product of an interdisciplinary collaboration with co-authors in biomedical engineering, otolaryngology and voice science. Investigators developed a state-of-the-art technique for imaging vocal tract airspace in MRI using a 16-channel flexible and anatomy-conforming coil to provide localized sensitivity over upper and infraglottic airway regions of interest. The custom coil provided improved parallel imaging of upper and infraglottic airway in both supine and lateral recumbent postures. It enabled efficient accelerated dynamic imaging of speaking and swallowing.

Future studies will use this MRI coil and accelerated imaging technique in conjunction with CT to produce more accurate three-dimensional views of the vocal tract than have yet been achieved.