A new method to improve RF safety of implantable medical devices using inductive coupling at 3.0 T MRI.

Objective: To enhance RF safety when implantable medical devices are located within the body coil but outside the imaging region by using a secondary resonator (SR) to reduce electric fields, the corresponding specific absorption rate (SAR), and temperature change during MRI.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted using numerical simulations with an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) phantom and adult human models of Ella and Duke from Virtual Family Models, along with corresponding experimental results of temperature change obtained using the ASTM phantom. The circular SR was designed with an inner diameter of 150 mm and a width of 6 mm.

Aluminum Thin Film Nanostructure Traces in Pediatric EEG Net for MRI and CT Artifact Reduction.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring are essential in the clinical management of neonatal seizures. EEG electrodes, however, can significantly degrade the image quality of both MRI and CT due to substantial metallic artifacts and distortions. Thus, we developed a novel thin film trace EEG net ("NeoNet") for improved MRI and CT image quality without compromising the EEG signal quality.

The MotoNet: A 3 Tesla MRI-Conditional EEG Net with Embedded Motion Sensors.

Unlabelled: We introduce a new electroencephalogram (EEG) net, which will allow clinicians to monitor EEG while tracking head motion. Motion during MRI limits patient scans, especially of children with epilepsy. EEG is also severely affected by motion-induced noise, predominantly ballistocardiogram (BCG) noise due to the heartbeat.

Effect of subject-specific head morphometry on specific absorption rate estimates in parallel-transmit MRI at 7 T.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy of morphing an established reference electromagnetic head model to a subject-specific morphometry for the estimation of specific absorption rate (SAR) in 7T parallel-transmit (pTx) MRI.

Methods: Synthetic T -weighted MR images were created from three high-resolution open-source electromagnetic head voxel models. The accuracy of morphing a "reference" (multimodal image-based detailed anatomical [MIDA]) electromagnetic model into a different subject's native space (Duke and Ella) was compared.

A high-resolution pediatric female whole-body numerical model with comparison to a male model.

. Numerical models are central in designing and testing novel medical devices and in studying how different anatomical changes may affect physiology. Despite the numerous adult models available, there are only a few whole-body pediatric numerical models with significant limitations.

Short-pulsed micro-magnetic stimulation of the vagus nerve.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is commonly used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and depression. The therapeutic effect of VNS depends on stimulating the afferent vagal fibers. However, the vagus is a mixed nerve containing afferent and efferent fibers, and the stimulation of cardiac efferent fibers during VNS may produce a rare but severe risk of bradyarrhythmia.

Numerical estimation of the B1 transmit field distortion in a copper EEG trace comparison with the thin-film based resistive trace "NeoNet".

This study investigates the effects of EEG traces in B1 transmit field distortion in a 3T MRI. EEG is a non-invasive method to monitor brain activities. Although EEG monitors brain activities with a high temporal resolution, it has trouble localizing the signal source.

Planar figure-8 coils for ultra-focal and directional micromagnetic brain stimulation.

Recently, white-matter fiber tract pathways carrying neural signals through the brain were shown to follow curved, orthogonal grids. This study focuses on how these white-matter fibers may be selectively excited using micromagnetic stimulation (MS), a new type of neuronal stimulation, which generates microscopic eddy currents capable of directionally activating neurons. One of the most remarkable properties of this novel type of stimulation is that the MS fields provide unique directional activation of neuronal elements not seen with traditional electrical stimulation.

Numerical simulation of the radiofrequency safety of 128-channel hd-EEG nets on a 29-month-old whole-body model in a 3 Tesla MRI.

This study investigates the radiofrequency (RF) induced heating in a pediatric whole-body voxel model with a high-density electroencephalogram (hd-EEG) net during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 Tesla. A total of three cases were studied: no net (NoNet), a resistive hd-EEG (NeoNet), and a copper (CuNet) net. The maximum values of specific absorption rate averaged over 10g-mass (10gSAR) in the head were calculated with the NeoNet was 12.

Development, validation, and pilot MRI safety study of a high-resolution, open source, whole body pediatric numerical simulation model.

Numerical body models of children are used for designing medical devices, including but not limited to optical imaging, ultrasound, CT, EEG/MEG, and MRI. These models are used in many clinical and neuroscience research applications, such as radiation safety dosimetric studies and source localization. Although several such adult models have been reported, there are few reports of full-body pediatric models, and those described have several limitations.

Assessment of radio-frequency heating of a parallel transmit coil in a phantom using multi-echo proton resonance frequency shift thermometry.

We propose a workflow for validating parallel transmission (pTx) radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field heating patterns using Proton-Resonance Frequency shift (PRF)-based MR thermometry. Electromagnetic (EM) and thermal simulations of a 7 T 8-channel dipole coil were done using commercially available software (Sim4Life) to assess RF heating. The fabrication method for a phantom with electrical properties matched to human tissue is also described, along with methods for its electrical and thermal characterisation.

An investigation into the minimum number of tissue groups required for 7T in-silico parallel transmit electromagnetic safety simulations in the human head.

Purpose: Safety limits for the permitted specific absorption rate (SAR) place restrictions on pulse sequence design, especially at ultrahigh fields (≥ 7 tesla). Due to intersubject variability, the SAR is usually conservatively estimated based on standard human models that include an applied safety margin to ensure safe operation. One approach to reducing the restrictions is to create more accurate subject-specific models from their segmented MR images.