Imaging patients with pacemakers at magnetic fields higher than 1.5T is widely contraindicated due to safety concerns. Since SAR increases with B₀² it is expected that lead tip heating (LTH) may increase substantially. Recent studies, however, provide evidence that contradicts this belief. Electromagnetic damping can occur in highly conductive materials at high field strengths and may result in lower LTH. Our objective was to compare LTH at 1.5T and 3T for five pacemakers with realistic implant configuration in the ASTM torso phantom. The results obtained showed that heating at 3T was not greater than 1.5T, which supports the argument that electromagnetic damping can result in lower LTH at higher field strengths.
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