An improved quasi-static finite-difference scheme for induced field evaluation based on the biconjugate gradient method.

Abstract

This paper presents a biconjugate gradient (BiCG) method that can significantly improve the performance of the quasi-static finite-difference scheme, which has been widely used to model field induction phenomena in voxel phantoms. The proposed BiCG method offers remarkable computational advantages in terms of convergence performance and memory consumption over the conventional iterative, successive overrelaxation algorithm. The scheme has been validated against other known solutions on a lossy, multilayered ellipsoid phantom excited by an ideal coil loop. The wide application capability and computational performance of the BiCG method is demonstrated by modeling the exposure of MRI healthcare workers to fields produced by pulsed field gradients. This is an important topic of research in light of the Physical Agents Directive 2004/40/EC because a variety of realistic operator postures near the bore entrance of an MRI system are modeled.