Motivation: Developing methods for local SAR estimation in patients undergoing clinical MRI could significantly enhance RF safety assessments. Goal(s): To develop and evaluate the performance of a deep learning-based method for real-time local SAR assessment in clinical 3T MRI scans. Approach: We trained a convolutional neural network on male and female trunk models, including arms, to map the relation between subject-specific complex B1+-maps and the corresponding local SAR distribution at 3T. Results: The proposed approach demonstrates the potential for reliable assessment of local SAR distribution at 3T. However, considerable underestimations of peak SAR values were observed in some cases. Impact: Recent simulation studies suggest clinical MRI scans may cause greater local tissue heating than previously anticipated. Measurement-based methodologies for local SAR estimation in clinical MRI systems could contribute to safety assessments and may facilitate agreement between thermal simulations and measurements.
Meliadò et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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