MR safety in research practice at 7T: an update of our experience in evaluating passive implants for non-clinical scans

Motivation: Many sites use the GUFI recommendation for the inclusion of subjects with passive implants but it remains unclear how many subjects/implants have been scanned. Goal(s): To report on our experience in clearing subjects with passive implants for research scans. Approach: Screening forms were analyzed to identify all subjects with implants and/or tattoos cleared for imaging at our site. Results: Over the past 18 years, 1131 out of 3567 volunteers had implants and/or tattoos and underwent a 7T MR examination. No findings regarding safety occurred, and all examinations could be safely performed. Impact: This retrospective study shares an extensive experience in imaging subjects with small implants within the RF coil. For larger implants outside a minimum distance to the RF coil a history of safe use of the GUFI recommendations is also reported.