Experimental phantoms for the assessment of medical implant leads induced SAR under a linear-phase incident field condition

The induced SAR at the lead tip of medical implant leads can exceed the value reached under resonance conditions if the phase of the incident electric field tangential to the lead is varied even if the field amplitude remains constant. An approximately linear-phase (i.e. constant phase gradient) incident field condition is found to maximize the energy deposition at the tip. Here, we develop experimental phantoms for the assessment of induced SAR on medical implant leads under a constant-amplitude and linear-phase incident field condition. Two different phantoms are developed to accommodate lead testing for a wide range of constant phase gradients. The incident fields along the lead paths in the phantoms are numerically validated prior to construction of the phantoms.