Resonant Traps as a Safety Measure: Influence of Inaccurate Tuning

Falk Uhlemann¹, Peter Mazurkewitz¹, Oliver Lips¹

Guidewires or cabling inside catheters can cause severe heating during MRI. The associated common mode currents can be reduced by resonant traps. We investigate if safety issues can arise from inaccurately tuned traps (due to e.g. tolerances, movement, surrounding tissue). Tip heating of wires inside the MR is analyzed depending on their length and trap tuning. Results show that the effect of inaccurate tuning or inadvertent detuning has to be considered, since the safety can easily be deteriorated. Slight detuning can result in configurations where the trap even increases the tip heating of the wire.