Induced current magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography with z-gradient coil

Magnetic Resonance Electrical Impedance Tomography (MREIT) is a medical imaging method that provides images of electrical conductivity at low frequencies (0-1 kHz). In MREIT, electrical current is applied to the body via surface electrodes and corresponding magnetic flux density is measured by means of Magnetic Resonance (MR) phase imaging techniques. By utilizing the magnetic flux density measurements and surface potential measurements images of true conductivity distribution can be reconstructed. In order to overcome difficulties regarding current application via surface electrodes, Induced Current MREIT (ICMREIT) have been proposed in the past. In ICMREIT, electrical currents and corresponding magnetic flux density are generated in the object through electromagnetic induction by means of externally placed coils driven with time varying currents. In this study, use of z-gradient, z-Helmholtz, and circular coil configurations in ICMREIT are proposed and investigated. Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to solve the forward problem of ICMREIT. Consequently, excitation performances and clinical applicability of different coil configurations are analyzed.