A Feasibility Study for Cracks Detection in Metallic Prosthetic Implants by Radio-Frequency Coils

In this paper we develop a feasibility analysis for noninvasive detection of internal cracks in metallic prosthetic implants by using a radio-frequency magnetic field. The proposed hardware arrangement, operating at 3 MHz, consists in a resonant spiral coil coupled to an unloaded concentric probe loop. The cracks detection can be accomplished by detecting the frequency and amplitude shift of the system input impedance caused by the induced currents on the implant metallic surface. The proposed method can overcome health risks associated with typical follow-up techniques after the surgery such as X-rays, while being less expensive and easily integrable within hospital facilities. The observed results suggest the feasibility of an innovative near-field clinical device, to be employed in future for non-invasive detection and monitoring of prostheses internal cracks, thus encouraging further analysis.