Human-sized magnetic particle imaging for brain applications

• Published in: Nature communications 2019-04, Vol.10 (1), p.1936-9, Article 1936
• Main Authors: Graeser, M., Thieben, F., Szwargulski, P., Werner, F., Gdaniec, N., Boberg, M., Griese, F., Möddel, M., Ludewig, P., van de Ven, D., Weber, O. M., Woywode, O., Gleich, B., Knopp, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 59; 639/166/985; 639/166/987; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Cerebrovascular Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Cerebrovascular Disorders - pathology; Contrast Media - chemistry; Contrast Media - metabolism; Dextrans - chemistry; Dextrans - metabolism; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Hemorrhage; Hospitals; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Intensive care; Intensive Care Units; Intracranial Hemorrhages - diagnostic imaging; Intracranial Hemorrhages - pathology; Iron; Magnetics - instrumentation; Magnetics - methods; Magnetite Nanoparticles - chemistry; Medical imaging; multidisciplinary; Neuroimaging; Neuroimaging - instrumentation; Neuroimaging - methods; Particle Size; Perfusion; Phantoms, Imaging; Restenosis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Stroke - pathology; Tomography - instrumentation; Tomography - methods; Vascular diseases
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09704-x

Determining the brain perfusion is an important task for diagnosis of vascular diseases such as occlusions and intracerebral haemorrhage. Even after successful diagnosis, there is a high risk of restenosis or rebleeding such that patients need intense attention in the days after treatment. Within this work, we present a diagnostic tomographic imager that allows access to brain perfusion quantitatively in short intervals. The device is based on the magnetic particle imaging technology and is designed for human scale. It is highly sensitive and allows the detection of an iron concentration of 263 pmol Fe  ml −1 , which is one of the lowest iron concentrations imaged by MPI so far. The imager is self-shielded and can be used in unshielded environments such as intensive care units. In combination with the low technical requirements this opens up a variety of medical applications and would allow monitoring of stroke on intensive care units. Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) has been applied to various pre-clinical settings, including detection of ischemic stroke in mice. Translation of MPI to a clinical setting has been obstacled by the lack of a device with sufficient bore size and, at the same time, reasonable technical requirements. Here the authors present a human-sized MPI device with low technical requirements designed for detection of brain ischemia.