Magnetohydrodynamic distortions of the ECG in different MR scanner configurations

Diagnostic electrocardiograms (ECG) are required to ensure patient safety during minimal invasive interventions and cardiac stress testings. The ECG is corrupted by several other signals when performing these interventions under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance which makes it impossible to use the ECG as a diagnostic tool in MR guided interventions. The interfering signal that is caused by the static magnetic field of the MR scanner - namely due the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect - is investigated within this work. The MHD effect is measured regarding different aspects like the strength and orientation of the static magnetic field as well as the patient's position and heart rate.