title: Magnetocardiography: current status and perspectives. Part I: Physical principles and instrumentation.
abstract: Magnetocardiography (MCG) is a non-invasive and risk-free technique allowing body surface recording of the magnetic fields generated by the electrical activity of the heart. The MCG recording system allows spatially and temporally accurate measurements of the very weak magnetic fields produced by currents flowing within myocardial fibers during cardiac activity. MCG has now been around for over 30 years, but only recently has progress in instrumentation put the technique on the verge of clinical applicability. This review summarizes the physical principles, instrumentation, main clinical applications and perspectives for the clinical use of MCG. This first part is devoted to the description of the physical principles and instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Cardiology, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Bioimaging, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tavarozzi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Comani
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Gratta
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Romani
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Luzio
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brisinda
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallina
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimarino
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fenici
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Caterina
mesh_terms: D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000639:trends; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D014672:Vectorcardiography / Q000379:methods