Towards clinical magnetic particle imaging: safety measurements of medical implants in a human cadaver model

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a preclinical imaging modality with potential for future clinical usage. The radiation-free guidance of endovascular interventions with MPI is especially promising. Here, we present a safety study on the heating of metallic medical implants during MPI measurements under realistic conditions in an extracorporeally-perfused cadaver model. The measurements were conducted by fiberoptic thermometers and showed no detectable heating of the tested endovascular devices in the cadaver model. A temperature increase of no more than 0.11 K was observed on the surface of the investigated proximal femoral nail. The in vitro testing of orthopedic prostheses (knee and hip) revealed a slight heating effect of 0.45 K. The dependence of heating on the applied excitation frequency was measured. Overall, the tested repertoire of implants did not heat by a clinically-relevant amount in a human-sized MPI-scanner under realistic conditions, indicating their safe usage in future clinical applications.