Influence of Medical Implants in the Subcranial and Facial Area on the Accuracy of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry at 3T

Motivation: The emergence of MR fingerprinting (MRF) technology enables accurate T1 and T2 relaxation time quantification. However, the impact of metal implants on quantitative imaging remains unclear, hindering postoperative and clinical MRI scans. Goal(s): To assess how craniofacial metal implants affect T1 and T2 relaxation time quantification using MRF at 3T. Approach: We conducted experiments on standardized MRI phantoms (ISMRM/NIST) with cranial implants using MRF and traditional T1/T2 mapping sequences. Results: Aneurysm clips had no significant impact on MRF, while cranial plates/screws exhibited mild abnormalities. Galvanized steel strips caused substantial signal anomalies. Impact: Highlighting the importance of considering the influence of metal implants on quantitative MRI results, impacting the accuracy of diagnoses. This research opens the door to further investigations into the development of metal-insensitive MRI sequences.