MRI Compatible Robotic Dosimeter System for Safety Assessment of Medical Implants

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is considered a safe imaging modality since there is no use of ionizing radiation. However, safety concerns still arise due to Radiofrequency (RF)-induced heating of electrically conducting structures such as medical implants. While recent advancements in robotics and sensors have enabled the measurement of temperature and electric fields outside the MRI setting, the heat generated by electromagnetic components within an MRI scanner still poses a challenge. This paper proposes the use of an MRI-compatible robot to accurately move and position a novel MRI-compatible sensor at different points in a gel phantom to generate heat and electric field maps around implantable medical devices. The effectiveness of the system is demonstrated by measuring a heat map around an abandoned pacemaker lead. The system provides a novel method of medical device safety evaluation in a clinical MRI setting.