Easy and effective acoustic noise protection in neonatal MRI

Background: The effect of acoustic noise during MRI is unclear and difficult to study in neonatal individuals. High acoustic noise levels during MRI can lead to anxiety, motion artifacts, and incomplete examinations due to newborns waking up. The acoustic noise is clearly a risk factor in MRI and hearing protection must be used. Usually, three passive attenuators are used: (1) a moldable dental putty (2) Natus minimuffs and (3) regular earmuffs, which is difficult to fit properly on the small neonate. Objective: To develop a new simple, safe and reliable method for reducing the acoustic noise in neonatal imaging…