Assessment of Femur Metallic Implant Safety at 3T

Abstract

We assessed electromagnetic behavior of metallic implant used for distal femur fracture in typical MRI situation. |B1+| field, SAR and temperature variations were computed at 3T using a surface coil on human model for different positions of the implant relative to the coil. To validate the simulation, we measured the E-field and compared it to simulated E-field. |B1+| field maps showed an interesting augmentation near the implant. Both global SAR and local SAR levels proved that it is possible to safely image bone repair. However, temperature elevation near the tip of the implant was important and is to be considerate.