17/04/2013
CEM43°C Thermal Dose Thresholds: A Potential Guide for Magnetic Resonance Radiofrequency Exposure Levels?
Gerard C. van Rhoon, Theodoros Samaras, Pavel S. Yarmolenko, Mark W. Dewhirst, Esra Neufeld, and Niels Kuster, European Radiology, Volume 23, Issue 8, pp. 2215-2227, August 2013, online April, 2013
In this paper, we propose alternative guidelines for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safety that consider exposure duration, the impact of the local heating history, and the varying sensitivities of different tissues. Based on a comprehensive review of literature on thermal tissue damage and a thermal dose concept (CEM43°C), thresholds that take into account the thermoregulatory ability of the scanned subject and whether the imaging is performed under controlled conditions are defined for multiple tissue classes. The paper is based on the outcome of the “Thermal Workshop on RF Hotspots”, organized by the MRI + EUREKA research consortium.
The scientific and technical impact of this study can be summarized as:
- An alternative approach for safety assessment that directly considers tissue damage dynamics is presented.
- CEM43°C dose values that can be used as safety thresholds for different tissue classes and scan situations are provided.