Effect of 14.1T MRI on Mercury Amalgam: A Study by ICP-MS and XRD

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of electromagnetic effects of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the release of mercury (Hg) and on the possible amalgam phase change in amalgam with 14.1T MRI. Material and methods: 60 amalgam discs with 4 mm diameter and 4 mm height were prepared. 30 were selected as the control and 30 as MRI group. They were placed in the Fusayama-Meyer solution. MRI group were exposed to 14.1T ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (UHF-MRI) system (EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland). 2, 12 and 24 hours after MRI, all discs were removed from the solutions. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analysis was performed to the solutions. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) was performed to amalgam discs. Differences and interactions between groups were evaluated by two-way ANOVA. Results: The concentration of Hg released from the amalgams to the solution in the MRI group was significantly higher than the control group (p=0,026; F=5,253). The peak intensity of the amalgam in the MRI group obtained by XRD was significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.000). Conclusion: UHF-MRI increases the release of Hg in the amalgam due to the strength of the magnetic field and appears to have a debilitating effect on the crystal structure of the amalgam within the period of exposure to the magnetic field.