Yigitcan Eryaman1, Burak Akin1,
Cagdas Oto2, Oktay Algin3, Ergin Atalar1
1National Magnetic
Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; 2Veterinary
Medicine,Department of Anatomy, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey; 3Department
of Radiology, Ataturk Training & Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
In this work, it is shown that the RF heating at the tip of metallic leads can be reduced by using a two-channel transmit array system. A zero electric field plane is steered inside the body by controlling the currents at two ports of the birdcage coil. As the field is steered, the RF current artifact near the lead tip is monitored and the excitation pattern which minimizes the current artifact is found. Phantom and animal experiments are performed with copper wires and DBS leads in order to demonstrate the reduction in tip temperature.