Electric fields induced in a human heart by MRI gradient coils: a finite element study

Author

Wang, Weiping ; Hong, Victor ; Rohan, Michael ; Eisenberg, Solomon R.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Boston Univ., MA, USA

Volume

1

fYear

1995

fDate

20-25 Sep 1995

Firstpage

475

Abstract

A three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) representing the conductive anatomy of the human thorax is used to study the myocardial electric fields induced by the gradient coils used in echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The influence of model shape, conductive inhomogeneity, and anisotropy on the spatial distribution of the induced myocardial electric field and it´s maximum (|E&oarr;|_max) is also investigated. Results show that model shape and conductive inhomogeneity substantially influence myocardial electric field distributions and |E&oarr;|_max, while the impact of skeletal muscle anisotropy is modest. Computed maximum magnitudes of the myocardial electric fields induced by typical echo-planar MRI gradient coils suggest that contemporary MRI devices operate well below the threshold for myocardial stimulation

Keywords

bioelectric phenomena; biomedical NMR; cardiology; coils; electric fields; finite element analysis; physiological models; MRI gradient coils; conductive inhomogeneity; echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging; human heart; human thorax conductive anatomy; induced electric fields; medical diagnostic imaging; model shape; myocardial stimulation; skeletal muscle anisotropy; spatial distribution; three-dimensional finite element model; Anatomy; Anisotropic magnetoresistance; Coils; Finite element methods; Heart; Humans; Magnetic resonance imaging; Myocardium; Nonuniform electric fields; Shape;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1995., IEEE 17th Annual Conference

Conference_Location

Montreal, Que.

Print_ISBN

0-7803-2475-7

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IEMBS.1995.575207

Filename

575207