New breakthrough in medical imaging technology

IOP News

12 March 2009

Medical imaging

New medical imaging technology, Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI), which generates unprecedented real-time images of blood flow and heart movement may improve disease diagnosis and treatment planning.

The results of a pre-clinical study pioneered by Royal Philips Electronics, which were published in issue 54 of IOP Publishing’s Physics in Medicine and Biology (2009), represent a major step forward in taking Magnetic Particle Imaging from a theoretical concept to an imaging tool to help improve diagnosis and therapy planning for many of the world's major diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer

MPI technology uses the magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles injected into the bloodstream, and has been used to generate unprecedented real-time images of arterial blood flow and volumetric heart motion.

This could ultimately allow MPI scanners to perform a wide range of functional cardiovascular measurements in a single scan. These could include measurements of coronary blood supply, heart function under stress, and the heart’s wall’s motion and flow speeds.

“We are the first in the world to demonstrate that Magnetic Particle Imaging can be used to produce real-time in-vivo images that accurately capture cardiovascular activity,” says Henk van Houten, senior vice president of Philips Research and head of the Healthcare research program.

“By adding important functional information to the anatomical data obtained from existing modalities such as CT and MR, Philips’ MPI technology has the potential to significantly help in the diagnosis and treatment planning of major diseases such as atherosclerosis and congenital heart defects.”

Professor Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Mount Sinai Heart Center, New York, adds, “A novel non-invasive cardiac imaging technology is required to further unravel and characterize the disease processes associated with atherosclerosis, in particular those associated with vulnerable plaque formation which is a major risk factor for stroke and heart attacks.”

“Through its combined speed, resolution and sensitivity, Magnetic Particle Imaging technology has great potential for this application, and the latest in-vivo imaging results represent a major breakthrough.”

Professor Steve Webb, editor-in-chief of Physics in Medicine and Biology says, ”IOPP publishes many journals on aspects of physics but one of its flagship journals is Physics in Medicine and Biology, now beyond its half century. Despite pressure on physics funding in general, physicists flock to work on medical applications and the growth of the journal reflects their burgeoning numbers and output. PMB is proud to have been able to publish this important work.”

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