MRI Scans and DBS Implants: A Heating Dilemma and a Promising Solution

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants can heat up during MRI scans due to radiofrequency (RF). This makes imaging challenging. Researchers experimented with a method called "RF-shimming parallel transmission" (PTX) to tackle this issue. The key lies in accurately mapping the RF transmission field (B1+). However, these maps can have areas with low signals far from the coil, impacting heat reduction. One option is to increase RF power, but this could also boost heating near the implant. Scientists are looking into ways to map B1+ with low heating and high signal quality. They tested an algorithm on a cylindrical phantom with a wire, simulating a DBS implant. The results were promising, reducing heating and improving signal uniformity. This research inspires further studies to perfect this method for real DBS patients.

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