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Biomedical subjects

O Dössel

Publications and source records attributed to O Dössel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Design and performance of a planar-array MIT system with normal sensor alignment.

In this study the performance of a planar array for magnetic induction tomography (MIT) was investigated and the results of measurements to determine the precision and sensitivity of the sensor were undertaken. A planar-array MIT system utilizing flux-linkage minimization for the primary field has been constructed and evaluated. The system comprises 4 printed excitation coils of 4 turns which were shielded, 8 surface-mount inductors of inductance 10 microH as sensor, mounted such that in principle no primary-field flux threads them, and a calibration coil to produce a strong primary field. The excitation current was multiplexed via relays to drive the excitation and reference coils. The noise values were similar in real and imaginary components in the lower frequencies and the factor to which the primary field could be reduced was greatest in the nearest coil. Methods for determining the true real and imaginary components and for flux-linkage minimization for the primary field for variations in channel sensitivities are described and the results of measurements of the system's noise and drift are given. A SNR of 47 dB was observed at 4 MHz when a 0.3 Sm-1 saline filled tank of dimensions 20 cmx20 cmx10 cm was placed centrally over the array. Finally, images were reconstructed from measurements of saline samples in a free space background, with the samples moved past the array in 21 1 cm steps to emulate mechanical scanning of the array. The image reconstruction characteristics of the planar array in conjunction with the reconstruction technique employed are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A comparison of sensors for minimizing the primary signal in planar-array magnetic induction tomography.

In magnetic induction tomography reducing the influence of the primary excitation field on the sensors can provide a significant improvement in SNR and/or allow the operating frequency to be reduced. For the purposes of imaging, it would be valuable if all, or a useful subset, of the detection coils could be rendered insensitive to the primary field for any excitation coil activated. Suitable schemes which have been previously suggested include the use of axial gradiometers and coil-orientation methods (Bx sensors). This paper examines the relative performance of each method through computer simulation of the sensitivity profiles produced by a single sensor, and comparison of reconstructed images produced by sensor arrays. A finite-difference model was used to determine the sensitivity profiles obtained with each type of sensor arrangement. The modelled volume was a cuboid of dimensions 50 cmx50 cmx12 cm with a uniform conductivity of 1 S m-1. The excitation coils were of 5 cm diameter and the detection coils of 5 mm diameter. The Bx sensors provided greater sensitivity than the axial gradiometers at all depths, other than on the surface layer of the volume. Images produced using a single-planar array were found to contain distortion which was reduced by the addition of a second array.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Free breathing 3D balanced FFE coronary magnetic resonance angiography with prolonged cardiac acquisition windows and intra-RR motion correction.

A shortcoming of today's coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is its low total scan efficiency (<5%), as only small well-defined fractions of the respiratory (50%) and cardiac (10%) cycle are used for data acquisition. These precautions are necessary to prevent blurring and artifacts related to respiratory and cardiac motion. Hence, scan times range from 4 to 9 min, which may not be tolerated by patients. To overcome this drawback, an ECG-triggered, navigator-gated free breathing radial 3D balanced FFE sequence with intra-RR motion correction is investigated in this study. Scan efficiency is increased by using a long cardiac acquisition window during the RR interval. This allows the acquisition of a number of independent k-space segments during each cardiac cycle. The intersegment motion is corrected using a self-guided epicardial fat tracking procedure in a postprocessing step. Finally, combining the motion-corrected segments forms a high-resolution image. Experiments on healthy volunteers are presented to show the basic feasibility of this approach.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2005

Influence of electrophysiological heterogeneity on electrical stimulation in healthy and failing human hearts.

The application of strong electrical stimuli is a common method used for terminating irregular cardiac behaviour. The study presents the influence of electrophysiological heterogeneity on the response of human hearts to electrical stimulation. The human electrophysiology was simulated using the ten Tusscher-Noble-Noble-Panfilov cell model. The anisotropic propagation of depolarisation in three-dimensional virtual myocardial preparations was calculated using bidomain equations. The research was carried out on different types of virtual cardiac wedge. The selection of the modelling parameters emphasises the influence of cellular electrophysiology on the response of the human myocardium to electrical stimulation. The simulations were initially performed on a virtual cardiac control model characterised by electrophysiological homogeneity. The second preparation incorporated the transmural electrophysiological heterogeneity characteristic of the healthy human heart. In the third model type, the normal electrophysiological heterogeneity was modified by the conditions of heart failure. The main currents responsible for repolarisation (Ito, IKs and IKI) were reduced by 25%. Successively, [Na+]i was increased by the regulation of the Na+-Ca2+ exchange function, and fibrosis was represented by decreasing electrical conductivity. Various electrical stimulation configurations were used to investigate the differences in the responses of the three different models. Monophasic and biphasic electrical stimuli were applied through rectangular paddles and needle electrodes. A whole systolic period was simulated. The distribution of the transmembrane voltage indicated that the modification of electrophysiological heterogeneity induced drastic changes during the repolarisation phase. The results illustrated that each of the heart failure conditions amplifies the modification of the response of the myocardium to electrical stimulation. Therefore a theoretical model of the failing human heart must incorporate all the characteristic features.

Electric Countershock↗
PubMed2004

Efficient foldover suppression using SENSE.

Parallel imaging techniques, which in principle represent procedures of unfolding a reduced dataset, are well known and well established in MR imaging. This paper presents a further application of one particular reconstruction method, the SENSE algorithm, considered from a different point of view to remove potential foldover in conventional images acquired with multiple receive coils. Based on the coil sensitivity information, a body coverage map in the excited plane is calculated. This is used together with the measured raw data in a SENSE-type reconstruction to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as to remove foldover reliably by unfolding the image to a larger field of view. The reconstruction is performed automatically, without any user interaction, and does not affect data acquisition. Based on phantom and in vivo studies, which retain high image quality after the removal, the potential and limits of this approach are discussed, also taking into account future scanner hardware that will support a large number of parallel receiver channels.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

Fast isotropic volumetric coronary MR angiography using free-breathing 3D radial balanced FFE acquisition.

A shortcoming of current coronary MRA methods with thin-slab 3D acquisitions is the time-consuming examination necessitated by extensive scout scanning and precise slice planning. To improve ease of use and cover larger parts of the anatomy, it appears desirable to image the entire heart with high spatial resolution instead. For this purpose, an isotropic 3D-radial acquisition was employed in this study. This method allows undersampling of k-space in all three spatial dimensions, and its insensitivity to motion enables extended acquisitions per cardiac cycle. We present initial phantom and in vivo results obtained in volunteers that demonstrate large volume coverage with high isotropic spatial resolution. We were able to visualize all major parts of the coronary arteries retrospectively from the volume data set without compromising the image quality. The scan time ranged from 10 to 14 min during free breathing at a heart rate of 60 bpm, which is comparable to that of a thin-slab protocol comprising multiple scans for each coronary artery.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2004

Planar system for magnetic induction conductivity measurement using a sensor matrix.

In this study the performance of an axial gradiometer sensor for magnetic induction tomography was investigated and the results of measurements to determine the precision and sensitivity of the sensor were undertaken. In the first part of the study a single gradiometer sensor was used and the noise and drift were measured for two excitation current values at a single frequency of 600 kHz. The variations of the real and imaginary received signal components with conductivity were then obtained for samples with 0-5 S m(-1). Both sets of measurements were repeated using two different forms of capacitive shielding. In the second part of the study the results of preliminary measurements obtained with a 2 x 2 planar matrix of axial gradiometers are given. The results of a simulation of a similar matrix using a commercial electromagnetic field calculation programme are also presented for comparison. For the sample utilized, the sensor output showed a linear variation with conductivity for the imaginary component of 0.033 mV S(-1) m using an excitation current of 316 mA at 600 kHz. No apparent correlation with conductivity for the real component was observed. The noise and drift of the imaginary component of the sensor output were 0.001 mV and 0.006 mV respectively, for the same excitation current. The results of the planar matrix measurements and simulations suggest that significant sensitivity is provided by using the measurement coils of the adjacent sensors. The measurement results however suggest that large improvements in the sensor noise and drift performance are required for these data to be of use.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2003

Improvement of patient return electrodes in electrosurgery by experimental investigations and numerical field calculations.

Numerical field calculations and experimental investigations were performed to examine the heating of the surface of human skin during the application of a new electrode design for the patient return electrode. The new electrode is characterised by an equipotential ring around the central electrode pads. A multi-layer thigh model was used, to which the patient return electrode and the active electrode were connected. The simulation geometry and the dielectric tissue parameters were set according to the frequency of the current. The temperature rise at the skin surface due to the flow of current was evaluated using a two-step numerical solving procedure. The results were compared with experimental thermographical measurements that yielded a mean value of maximum temperature increase of 3.4 degrees C and a maximum of 4.5 degrees C in one test case. The calculated heating patterns agreed closely with the experimental results. However, the calculated mean value in ten different numerical models of the maximum temperature increase of 12.5 K (using a thermodynamic solver) exceeded the experimental value owing to neglect of heat transport by blood flow and also because of the injection of a higher test current, as in the clinical tests. The implementation of a simple worst-case formula that could significantly simplify the numerical process led to a substantial overestimation of the mean value of the maximum skin temperature of 22.4 K and showed only restricted applicability. The application of numerical methods confirmed the experimental assertions and led to a general understanding of the observed heating effects and hotspots. Furthermore, it was possible to demonstrate the beneficial effects of the new electrode design with an equipotential ring. These include a balanced heating pattern and the absence of hotspots.

Electrodes↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of macroscopic models of excitation and force propagation in the heart.

Computer aided simulations of the heart provide knowledge of phenomena, which are commonly neither visible nor measurable with current techniques. This knowledge can be applied e.g. in cardiologic diagnosis and therapy. A variety of models was created to reconstruct cardiac processes, e.g. electrical propagation and force development. In this work different macroscopic models were compared, i.e. models based on excitation-diffusion equations and cellular automata. The comparison was carried out concerning reconstruct-ability of cardiac phenomena, mathematical and biophysical foundation as well as computational expense. Particularly, the reconstruct-ability of electromechanic feedback mechanisms was examined. Perspectives for further developments and improvements of models were given.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Excitation propagation and force development in the left ventricle of the visible female data set.

Simulations of the electro-mechanical behavior of the heart improve the comprehension of the mechanisms of the cardiovascular system. In this study a left ventricular model including electrical excitation and force development is presented. The electrical model consists of a complex electrophysiological cell model and a monodomain excitation diffusion model. The force development bases on the intracellular calcium concentration and is calculated with a force model. It consists--like the electrophysiological model--of non-linear coupled differential equations. Simulations are obtained in a realistic and anisotropic model of the left ventricle of the Visible Female data set provided by the National Library of Medicine, USA. Effects to the mechanical behavior will be examined in future.

Anatomy, Cross-Sectional↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of regularization techniques for the reconstruction of transmembrane potentials in the heart.

Computer simulations to reconstruct the transmembrane potential distribution were performed for an anisotropic finite element model of the heart. Transmembrane potential was reconstructed in the form of 3D patches. Test patterns generated with a cellular automaton were used. Tikhonov 0-order and 2-order reconstruction techniques were compared. Tikhonov 2-order regularization was shown to deliver better solutions; this is demonstrated by the inspection of the source space of the inverse problem and by the comparison of the correlation coefficients between the reconstructed and original distributions. Time information was incorporated into the regularization.

Body Surface Potential Mapping↗
PubMed2002

Calculation of the dielectric properties of biological tissue using simple models of cell patches.

The measurement of the dielectric properties of biological tissue is of increasing scientific relevance. Models for the comprehension of the dielectric properties at various frequencies have been successfully set up. However, students often have problems in understanding the effects taking place on cellular level which lead to the observed dispersion. A numerical model of a biological tissue brick composed of single cells (micron-dimensions) between two plate electrodes is presented in this study. An electrical current in a range of 1 Hz to 3 GHz was applied to the electrodes and hence to the tissue model. Using an equivalent series circuit of a resistor and a capacitor it is possible to calculate the effective equivalent dielectric properties of the whole tissue model. The results show an increasing conductivity and decreasing permittivity with increasing frequency. This corresponds to experimental results obtained with different biological tissues.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Simulation of non-contact measurement of the electrical impedance using an anatomical model.

The measurement of the impedance of biological tissue can be a non-invasive method to find new data of diagnostic relevance. A system for a non-contact measurement of the electrical impedance of biological tissue is presented. The system consists of an excitation coil and two sensing coils, an upper and a lower coil. If the two sensing coils are coupled it can be used as a gradiometer coil. Numerical experiments with focus on the eddy currents in the tissue and on the detection of the small changes of the signal are carried out to calculate the fields, eddy current distributions and induced voltages. Hereby tests with different frequencies of the excitation current and different conductivities of a tissue block are used. Then the homogeneous tissue block is replaced with a fraction of the arm of an anatomical model which contains different tissue classes.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2002

Numerical field calculation of patient return electrodes in electrosurgery.

In order to examine the warming up characteristics during application of a new electrode design for a patient return electrode of an electrosurgical system numerical field calculations were performed in this study. A multi-layer thigh model was provided for this purpose, to which the patient return electrode and the active electrode were connected. The simulation geometry as well as the dielectric tissue parameters were set according to the current frequency. The heating up at the skin surface by the flowing current was evaluated. The results were compared with experimental thermographical measurements.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2002

Imaging characteristics of different multichannel magnetocardiographic systems.

In this study a comparison of multichannel magnetocardiographic systems is performed with respect to the "detectable" information content. We investigate the lead-field matrices, the slope of the singular values and the source spaces of three different devices: the VectorView (Neuromag: magnetometer-gradiometer mixed device) of the BioMag Laboratory, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), the arrangement of electronically coupled magnetometers of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Berlin (PTB) and a virtual sensor geometry which was optimized for an improved slope of the singular values at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Magnetic resonance imaging with implanted neurostimulators: numerical calculation of the induced heating.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is still contraindicated in patients with implanted active medical devices, as the applied radiofrequency (RF) fields can lead to significant heating of the implants and the electrodes. A head model with an implanted deep brain stimulation electrode (DBS) was exposed to a continuous RF-field similar to the excitational field used in MRI at a frequency of 64 MHz. In this study a two-step procedure for the accurate estimation of electrode-heating during MRI is presented. First the energy loss was calculated in the frequency domain during an applied RF-pulse. Then a thermodynamic algorithm taking heat transfer mechanisms into account was used. The applied method showed to be numerically stable and gave more accurate results than first calculated using a simple worst-case approximation.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Development of a cost-effective and MRI compatible temperature measurement system.

A reliable temperature measurement system working inside a MRI-system is required in order to determine the amount of local temperature rise during application of radiofrequency fields on medical implants and thus to ensure patient safety. Hence the aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective temperature measurement system suitable for use in a MRI system to investigate this heating having mainly phantom experiments in mind. Three active temperature measurement systems were set up, the first using a PTC as the temperature sensor, the other two with platinum resistors of 100 omega and 1000 omega. Interference tests in a MRI systems were performed. It could be shown that a stable temperature measurement at a resolution of 0.1 degree C could be established.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗