Surveillance MPI Scanner for Stroke Detection on the Intensive Care Stroke Unit

Scientists at the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH) and the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) have developed a new diagnostic tomographic imaging system that enables access to cerebral blood flow at short intervals and thus quickly indicates a possible stroke. The study "Human-sized Magnetic Particle Imaging for Brain Applications" was published on the 26th of April 2019 in the renowned journal Nature Communications.

On the road to full real-time 3D imaging using approved clinical tracers, the MPI scanner has been extensively upgraded from 2019 to 2023. Several publications document the process and highlight the development of new components, like the study "Heat it up: Thermal stabilization by active heating to reduce impedance drifts in capacitive matched networks", "Gradient power reducing using pulsed selection-field sequences" or "Resonant inductive coupling network for human-sized magnetic particle imaging". A thorough exploration is presented in "System characterization of a human-sized 3D real-time magnetic particle imaging scanner for cerebral applications".

Prof. Tobias Knopp and Dr. Matthias Gräser with the surveillance imager

Project Publications

[122486]
Title: Human-sized Magnetic Particle Imaging for Brain Applications.
Written by: M. Graeser, F. Thieben, P. Szwargulski, F. Werner, N. Gdaniec, M. Boberg, F. Griese, M. Möddel, P. Ludewig, D. van de Ven, O.M. Weber, O. Woywode, B. Gleich, and T. Knopp
in: <em>Nature Communications</em>. (2019).
Volume: <strong>10</strong>. Number: (1936),
on pages: 1-9
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09704-x
URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09704-x
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Note: article, brainimager, openaccess

Abstract: 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, 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.