Numerical calculations of the static magnetic field in three-dimensional multi-tissue models of the human head

Susceptibility-induced perturbation of the static magnetic field by the human body during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) leads to undesirable artifacts as well as valuable physiological information, as in functional MRI. The ability to calculate these perturbations for a multi-tissue human body model provides a powerful tool in designing hardware and acquisition methods for reducing the artifacts, and in relating observed image contrast to physiological origins. We have developed a method for calculating the static field in arbitrary 3D magnetic susceptibility distributions and performed calculations in a complete model of the human head and shoulders. The accuracy of our method was validated in regular geometries with known analytical solutions and in comparison with experimental results acquired from the head of the same human subject used for computer modeling. Results are presented in parts per million (ppm) deviation from the applied field strength and are valid for any imaging or spectroscopy system.