Computational Modeling of the Thermal Effects of Flow on Radio Frequency-Induced Heating of Peripheral Vascular Stents during MRI

Purpose: The goal of this study was to develop and validate a computational model that can accurately predict the influence of flow on the temperature rise near a peripheral vascular stent during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Computational modeling and simulation of radio frequency (RF) induced heating of a vascular stent during MRI at 3.0 T was developed and validated with flow phantom experiments. The maximum temperature rise of the stent was measured as a function of physiologically relevant flow rates.

Results: A significant difference was not identified between the experiment and simulation (P > 0.05). The temperature rise of the stent during MRI was over 10 °C without flow, and was reduced by 5 °C with a flow rate of only 58 mL/min, corresponding to a reduction of CEM43 from 45 minutes to less than 1 minute. 

Conclusion: The computer model developed in this study was validated with experimental measurements, and accurately predicted the influence of flow on the RF-induced temperature rise of a vascular stent during MRI. Furthermore, the results of this study demonstrate that relatively low flow rates significantly reduce the temperature rise of a stent and the surrounding medium during RF induced heating under typical scanning power and physiologically relevant conditions.