Impact of Electrode Structure on RF-Induced Heating for an AIMD Implanted Lead in a 1.5-Tesla MRI System

Abstract

In this paper, the impact of the electrode structure on radio-frequency (RF) induced heating near an active implantable medical device implanted lead under magnetic resonance imaging exposure is investigated. The specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions and the temperature rises of the leads with different electrodes were assessed. It is shown that increasing the size of the lead electrode reduces the SAR distribution and temperature rise near the electrode. Our results indicate that a larger electrode size will reduce the magnitudes of the lead transfer function, subsequently reducing the heating effect near the electrode. Both numerical simulations and experimental measurements were performed to verify the effectiveness of a large electrode in mitigating the RF-induced heating.