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Updated: Aug 25, 2026
High-resolution Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods for Human Midbrain
Published on: May 10, 2012
Spatial resolution of numerical models of man and calculated specific absorption rate using the FDTD method: a study
Christopher M Collins1, Michael B Smith
1Center for NMR Research, Department of Radiology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. cmcollins@psu.edu
Purpose:
To examine how fine a model resolution is necessary for calculation of specific energy absorption rate (SAR) for the human head in regions as small as 1 g.
Materials And Methods:
Here we perform a simple study comparing the maximum SAR averaged over any 1 cm(3) and SAR averaged over the entire head for several models of the same human head within the same radiofrequency coil, but with spatial resolutions varying from 8-100 Yee cells per cm(3).
Results:
Over the range of model resolutions from 8-100 Yee cells per cm(3), there is only a 16% variation in maximum SAR in any 1 cm(3) of tissue in the head, and only a 7% variation in SAR averaged over the entire head.
Conclusion:
While it is always desirable to perform SAR calculations with the greatest possible accuracy, in calculations of the maximum SAR levels in any 1 cm(3) of tissue, spatial resolutions greater than 5 mm may not yield notably different results than those with a spatial resolution of 5 mm.
