Magnetic resonance imaging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the nasopharynx, the eustachian tube and the middle ear was performed in nine patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. MRI revealed the extent of the tumor more clearly than CT (computed tomography) when the tumor was situated in the parapharyngeal space. But when the tumor extended superficially in the nasopharyngeal mucosa, its margin could not be identified clearly by either MRI or CT because of hypervascularity and long T1 and T2 of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Seven of the nine patients had unilateral otitis media with effusion. Their eustachian tube ventilation function was evaluated by an inflation-deflation technique. Failure of active equalization of negative pressure applied to the middle ear was found to be a characteristic disorder of their eustachian tube ventilation function. This dysfunction seemed to be correlated with the lateral dislocation of the eustachian tube cartilage caused by the tumor. (author)