Computational modeling reveals that orthopedic plates can decrease peripheral nerve stimulation thresholds, indicating implications for MRI safety assessments.
Motivation: To understand whether orthopedic plates implanted in patients affect the risk of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) induced by MRI gradient fields. Goal(s): To assess if activation thresholds for PNS are altered by the presence of nearby orthopedic plates. Approach: A combined approach of using anatomical electromagnetic and neurophysiological modeling was employed to evaluate the stimulation threshold for specific nerves, both with and without the implanted plate. Results: Orthopedic implants can significantly reduce nerve stimulation thresholds by up to 80%. Some reduced thresholds were close to PNS safety limits, indicating a notably lower safety margin for patients with implants compared to those without. Impact: The observed reduction in PNS thresholds suggests that individualized risk assessments may be necessary for MRI screenings of patients with orthopedic implants.
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Yang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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