title: Three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography: a topology optimization approach.
abstract: Electrical impedance tomography is a technique to estimate the impedance distribution within a domain, based on measurements on its boundary. In other words, given the mathematical model of the domain, its geometry and boundary conditions, a nonlinear inverse problem of estimating the electric impedance distribution can be solved. Several impedance estimation algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. In this paper, we present a three-dimensional algorithm, based on the topology optimization method, as an alternative. A sequence of linear programming problems, allowing for constraints, is solved utilizing this method. In each iteration, the finite element method provides the electric potential field within the model of the domain. An electrode model is also proposed (thus, increasing the accuracy of the finite element results). The algorithm is tested using numerically simulated data and also experimental data, and absolute resistivity values are obtained. These results, corresponding to phantoms with two different conductive materials, exhibit relatively well-defined boundaries between them, and show that this is a practical and potentially useful technique to be applied to monitor lung aeration, including the possibility of imaging a pneumothorax.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechatronics and Mechanical Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01426, Brazil. luis.mello@poli.usp.br
authors.forename: Luís Augusto Motta
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: Cícero Ribeiro
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Marcelo Britto Passos
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Raul Gonzalez
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Emílio Carlos Nelli
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017097:Electric Impedance; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D010992:Plethysmography, Impedance / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014054:Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*