1. Magnetic Field Interactions of Military and Law Enforcement Bullets at 1.5 and 3 Tesla.
- Author
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Diallo, Idris, Auffret, Mathieu, Attar, Lakdar, Bouvard, Elise, Rousset, Jean, Salem, Douraied Ben, and Ben Salem, Douraied
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MAGNETIC fields , *LAW enforcement , *BULLETS , *TESLA coils , *BALLISTICS , *MAGNETIC resonance imaging ,NATO Armed Forces - Abstract
Objectives: There are significant numbers of military and law enforcement bullets containing ferromagnetic materials. This study aimed to assess the magnetic field interactions for a representative sample of military and law enforcement ballistic objects at 1.5 and 3 tesla (T) to create a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility database.Methods: Twenty-nine different bullets underwent MRI evaluation. The deflection angle method and a qualitative torque scale were used. The samples were representative of those commonly used in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military forces (e.g., 5.56 mm NATO), law enforcement agencies (e.g., 9 mm Parabellum), and encountered in war injuries and crime-related trauma (e.g., 7.62 mm Kalashnikov).Results: At all static magnetic field strengths, all non-nickel- and nonsteel-containing bullets exhibited no movement (deflection angle = 0°; torque = 0), whereas eight bullets containing steel core, steel jacket, or nickel jacket exhibited substantial magnetic field interactions over and above what might be regarded as safe in vivo (deflection angle = 90°; torque = 4+).Conclusion: Military and law enforcement non-nickel- or nonsteel-containing bullets appear to be safe for patients in MRI system at 1.5 and 3 T. On the other hand, nickel- and steel-containing bullets exhibit movements that are considered potentially unsafe for patients in an MRI environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
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