Patent ID: 8319496

Claim:
A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising: a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit comprising a basic field magnet with an opening therein adapted to receive an examination subject therein, said examination subject carrying, extracorporeally or intracorporeally, a foreign object at least partially formed of electrically conductive material; said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit comprising a gradient coil system and a radio-frequency (RF) coil system that at least partially surround the examination subject in said opening, said RF coil system having a coil design; an RF transmit system connected to said RF coil system that supplies current to said RF coil system to radiate an RF field in the examination subject disposed in said opening, said RF field contributing to production of an electric field in the examination subject that causes RF heating of the examination subject; a gradient coil control system connected to said gradient coil system that supplies current to said gradient coil system to produce gradient magnetic fields in said examination subject; a sequence controller connected to said RF transmit system and said gradient coil control system, said sequence controller being configured to operate said RF transmit system and said gradient coil control system to activate and deactivate said RF field and said gradient magnetic fields in a sequence to produce, spatially encode, and read out magnetic resonance signals in said examination subject; an input unit in communication with said sequence controller configured to provide said sequence controller with information describing electrically conductive characteristics of said foreign object; and said sequence controller being configured to use said information to set said sequence, in combination with said design of said RF coil, to steer or modify said electric field to minimize RF heating in the examination subject due to the presence of said foreign object.