title: Optical Magnetic Induction Tomography of the Heart.
abstract: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) affects a significant fraction of the ageing population, causing a high level of morbidity and mortality. Despite its significance, the causes of AF are still not uniquely identified. This, combined with the lack of precise diagnostic and guiding tools, makes the clinical treatment of AF sub-optimal. We identify magnetic induction tomography as the most promising technique for the investigation of the causes of fibrillation and for its clinical practice. We therefore propose a novel optical instrument based on optical atomic magnetometers, fulfilling the requirements for diagnostic mapping of the heart's conductivity. The feasibility of the device is here discussed in view of the final application. Thanks to the potential of atomic magnetometers for miniaturisation and extreme sensitivity at room temperature, a new generation of compact and non-invasive diagnostic instrumentation, with both bedside and intra-operative operation capability, is envisioned. Possible scenarios both in clinical practice and biomedical research are then discussed. The flexibility of the system makes it promising also for application in other fields, such as neurology and oncology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marmugi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ferruccio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renzoni
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D057791:Cardiac Imaging Techniques; D056149:Epicardial Mapping / Q000379:methods; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D060306:Magnetometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008904:Miniaturization; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*