A safe transmission line for MRI.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a safe human imaging technique.
• Electric conductors near the body in MRI can cause dangerous tissue heating due to induced currents.
• Existing MRI technology requires avoidance of conductive elements to prevent thermal hazards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and demonstrate a novel transmission line design for MRI.
• To prevent hazardous heating in cables used in or near the human body during MRI procedures.
• To enable new applications like active catheter tracking and intravascular imaging.

Main Methods:

• A new transmission line principle based on strategically placed transformers.
• Transformers divide the line into short, non-resonant, and safe sections.
• Transformer design incorporates theoretical aspects for current avoidance and signal attenuation reduction.
• Matching networks determined by power matching are used to minimize signal loss.
• A prototype was constructed to validate theoretical models and simulations.

Main Results:

• The novel transmission line design effectively avoids dangerous induced currents and cable heating.
• Signal attenuation is reduced through optimized transformer and matching network design.
• The design meets the geometric requirements for integration into standard catheters.
• Experimental validation confirmed the safety and efficacy of the proposed transmission line.

Conclusions:

• Safe transmission lines for MRI applications are achievable with the demonstrated principle.
• The technology facilitates advanced applications such as active catheter tracking.
• Future potential includes enabling safe intravascular imaging and other novel MRI-guided procedures.