E.P. Stuijfzand, M.D. Abràmoff, K.J. Zuiderveld, L.M.P. Ramos,
J. Weickert, M.P. Mourits, F.W. Zonneveld, W.P.T.H. Mali,
Fast kinematic MR imaging of the eye and orbit,
RSNA Electronic Journal, Vol. 1, 1997.
Objective: To use fast kinematic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to
evaluate eye and orbital dynamics in patients with restricted eye movement.
Materials and Methods: With a 1.5-T MR imager, 50 fast T1-weighted
gradient-echo images (turbo field echo, echo time [msec]/repetition time [msec]
= 6.9/12, 4-mm section thickness, 170-mm field of view, 128 × 128 matrix)
are acquired in 3 minutes 20 seconds in sagittal and transverse directions while
patients are instructed to move their eyes over a geometric system printed on a
Plexiglas arch that is held in front of them during the examination. All static
images are transferred to a cine-loop mode and shown kinematically as a short
movie, which is subsequentely recorded on videotape and stored on optical disk.
Patients are allowed to blink and do not need anaesthesia during image
acquisition. Transverse eye movement is analyzed for both eyes together and
sagittal movement for each eye separately.
Results: With this technique, an almost fluent visualization of eye and
orbital dynamics is obtained. The influence of different disorders on
extraocular muscles, orbital fat, and optic nerve movement are clearly seen.
Five healthy volunteers and 32 patients were examined with this technique.
Patients had thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, myasthenia gravis, Duane
syndrome, myositis in systemic lupus erythematosus, orbital fractures,
postoperative diplopia, and baseball implants after enucleation.
Conclusion: Fast kinematic MR imaging is an excellent method for
evaluating orbital, extraocular muscle, and optic nerve dynamics in patients
with restricted ocular movement.
The full
paper is available online as well.
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