Modeling and Measurement of Lead Tip Heating in Implanted Wires with Loops.

Purpose: To theoretically and experimentally study implant lead tip heating caused by radiofrequency (RF) power deposition in different wire configurations that contain loop(s).

Methods: Maximum temperature rise caused by RF heating was measured at 1.5T on 20 insulated, capped wires with various loop and straight segment configurations. The experimental results were compared with predictions from the previously reported simple exponential and the adapted transmission line models, as well as with a long-wavelength approximation.

Results: Both models effectively predicted the trends in lead tip temperature rise for all the wire configurations, with the adapted transmission line model showing superior accuracy. For superior/inferior (S/I)-oriented wires, increasing the number of loops decreased the overall heating. However, when wires were oriented right/left (R/L) where the x-component of the electric field is negligible, additional loops increased the overall heating.

Conclusion: The simple exponential and the adapted transmission line models previously developed for, and tested on, straight wires require no additional terms or further modification to account for RF heating in a variety of loop configurations. These results extend the usefulness of the models to manage implanted device lead tip heating and provide theoretical insight regarding the role of loops and electrical lengths in managing RF safety of implanted devices.