Abstract #1401

Mallozzi R, Guhde R, Fiveland E, Dumoulin C

Conducting structures such as catheters, guidewires, and pacemaker leads placed in an MR scanner present a danger of RF tissue heating due to induced current and voltage standing waves on the device. Such danger limits many promising interventional procedures. A method for tracking catheters and other devices in an MR scanner has been developed that produces no measurable heating. The method uses small tracking coils to transmit the RF field in addition to receive, eliminating the large volume RF excitation that leads to heating.