Abstract #0251

Real-Time MRI Can Differentiate Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders in Children

Yoon-Chul Kim¹, Shirleen Loloyan², Ziyue Wu¹, Winston Tran¹, Roberta Kato², Sally L.D. Ward², Michael C.K. Khoo¹, Krishna S. Nayak¹

¹University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; ²Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States

We propose a novel MRI approach that involves real-time imaging and synchronized collection of several physiological signals (i.e., airway pressure, respiratory effort, heart rate, oxygen saturation) to assess dynamics of the pharyngeal airway in children with sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD). Our proposed imaging sequence can run continuously for several hours and is compatible with natural sleep. We demonstrate that changes in airway cross-sectional area differ with SRBD phenotype.