Low-cost multifrequency electrical impedance-based system (MFEIBS) for clinical imaging: design and performance evaluation

Abstract Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an upcoming and capable imaging modality used for clinical imaging. It is non-invasive, non-ionising and an inexpensive technique. This paper explains the designing and the analysis of a low-cost multifrequency electrical impedance-based system (MFEIBS) having a flexible mechanism of interfacing up to 32 electrodes, suitable for 1 kHz–2 MHz. Various indicators to check the performance of the EIT system were evaluated and presented here. The performance of VCO and VCCS was measured up to 2 MHz. SNR was measured with saline phantom and its mean value is 74 dB for the complete bandwidth. Different combinations of resistors and capacitors were used to find the accuracy of the system, and relative error was less than 0.55% for the entire range. CMRR of the system was calculated and it was found to be maximum 85 dB at 1 kHz frequency. A 16-electrode circular plastic phantom having a diameter of 18 cm was established and connected with a simple MFEIBS. Obtained surface potential was applied to the computer used for image formation using NI USB-6259, 16-bit, 1.25 MS/s M Series High-speed DAQ. Images reconstructed using the system presented in this paper was generated from a 16-electrode plastic phantom filled with NaCl up to 1.2 cm height.

[1]  V. Cherepenin,et al.  Three-dimensional EIT imaging of breast tissues: system design and clinical testing , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[2]  Keith D. Paulsen,et al.  Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy of the Human Prostate , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[3]  R. W. Lau,et al.  The dielectric properties of biological tissues: II. Measurements in the frequency range 10 Hz to 20 GHz. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[4]  Ian J Craddock,et al.  Microwave Radar-Based Differential Breast Cancer Imaging: Imaging in Homogeneous Breast Phantoms and Low Contrast Scenarios , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[5]  B.H. Brown,et al.  A real-time electrical impedance tomography system for clinical use-design and preliminary results , 1995, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[6]  Gurmeet Singh,et al.  Practical phantom study of low cost portable EIT based cancer screening device , 2016, 2016 IEEE Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT).

[7]  D. Malonek,et al.  The T-SCANTM technology: electrical impedance as a diagnostic tool for breast cancer detection , 2001 .

[8]  David Barber,et al.  An Image Reconstruction Algorithm for 3-D Electrical Impedance Mammography , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[9]  Wuliang Yin,et al.  A highly adaptive electrical impedance sensing system for flow measurement , 2002 .

[10]  David Isaacson,et al.  A Versatile High-Permittivity Phantom for EIT , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[11]  Boris Rubinsky,et al.  Electrical impedance characterization of normal and cancerous human hepatic tissue , 2010, Physiological measurement.

[12]  J. D. Munck,et al.  The electric resistivity of human tissues (100 Hz-10 MHz): a meta-analysis of review studies. , 1999, Physiological measurement.

[13]  Gurmeet Singh,et al.  Development of a microcontroller based electrical impedance tomography system , 2015, 2015 Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology.

[14]  Hyunki Kim,et al.  A 1.4-m $\Omega$ -Sensitivity 94-dB Dynamic-Range Electrical Impedance Tomography SoC and 48-Channel Hub-SoC for 3-D Lung Ventilation Monitoring System , 2017, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[15]  Simon R. Arridge,et al.  Multifrequency Electrical Impedance Tomography Using Spectral Constraints , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[16]  E. Madsen,et al.  Tissue-mimicking phantom materials for narrowband and ultrawideband microwave applications , 2005, Physics in medicine and biology.

[17]  Andy Adler,et al.  The impact of electrode area, contact impedance and boundary shape on EIT images , 2011, Physiological measurement.

[18]  R H Bayford,et al.  Design and performance of the UCLH mark 1b 64 channel electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system, optimized for imaging brain function. , 2002, Physiological measurement.

[19]  Ryan J Halter,et al.  The correlation of in vivo and ex vivo tissue dielectric properties to validate electromagnetic breast imaging: initial clinical experience , 2009, Physiological measurement.

[20]  D. Land,et al.  Dielectric properties of female human breast tissue measured in vitro at 3.2 GHz. , 1992, Physics in medicine and biology.

[21]  Keith D. Paulsen,et al.  A Broadband High-Frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography System for Breast Imaging , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[22]  Jeff Liu,et al.  Electrical characterization of bolus material as phantom for use in electrical impedance and computed tomography fusion imaging , 2014 .

[23]  C. Gabriel,et al.  Electrical conductivity of tissue at frequencies below 1 MHz , 2009, Physics in medicine and biology.

[24]  Andy Adler,et al.  A Resistive Mesh Phantom for Assessing the Performance of EIT Systems , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[25]  A Hartov,et al.  Electrical impedance imaging at multiple frequencies in phantoms , 2000, Physiological measurement.

[26]  R. W. Lau,et al.  The dielectric properties of biological tissues: III. Parametric models for the dielectric spectrum of tissues. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[27]  Paul M. Meaney,et al.  A clinical prototype for active microwave imaging of the breast , 2000 .

[28]  R H Bayford,et al.  Electrical impedance tomography spectroscopy (EITS) for human head imaging. , 2003, Physiological measurement.

[29]  D S Holder,et al.  A comparison of two EIT systems suitable for imaging impedance changes in epilepsy , 2009, Physiological measurement.

[30]  Amalric Montalibet,et al.  Electrical impedance endo-tomography: imaging tissue from inside , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[31]  David Gur,et al.  Electrical impedance scanning for the early detection of breast cancer in young women: preliminary results of a multicenter prospective clinical trial. , 2005, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[32]  Eung Je Woo,et al.  Multi-frequency EIT system with radially symmetric architecture: KHU Mark1 , 2007, Physiological measurement.

[33]  Tushar Kanti Bera,et al.  Electrical Impedance Spectroscopic Studies on Broiler Chicken Tissue Suitable for the Development of Practical Phantoms in Multifrequency EIT , 2011 .

[34]  D. Malonek,et al.  The T-SCAN technology: electrical impedance as a diagnostic tool for breast cancer detection. , 2001, Physiological measurement.

[35]  Hoi-Jun Yoo,et al.  A 10.4 mW Electrical Impedance Tomography SoC for Portable Real-Time Lung Ventilation Monitoring System , 2015, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[36]  M. Lindstrom,et al.  A large-scale study of the ultrawideband microwave dielectric properties of normal, benign and malignant breast tissues obtained from cancer surgeries , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[37]  Refet Firat Yazicioglu,et al.  A Low-power and Compact-sized Wearable Bio-impedance Monitor with Wireless Connectivity , 2013 .

[38]  Colin J McCarthy,et al.  Evaluation of the Particulate Concentration in a Gelatin‐Based Phantom for Sonographically Guided Lesion Biopsy , 2013, Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

[39]  Magda El-Shenawee,et al.  Review of Electromagnetic Techniques for Breast Cancer Detection , 2011, IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering.

[40]  M. Elia,et al.  Bioelectrical impedance analysis--part I: review of principles and methods. , 2004, Clinical nutrition.

[41]  Ohin Kwon,et al.  A mathematical model for breast cancer lesion estimation: electrical impedance technique using TS2000 commercial system , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[42]  M. Bloomston,et al.  Ex vivo electrical impedance measurements on excised hepatic tissue from human patients with metastatic colorectal cancer , 2015, Physiological measurement.

[43]  Werner A. Kaiser,et al.  Electrical impedance scanning as a new imaging modality in breast cancer detection—a short review of clinical value on breast application, limitations and perspectives , 2003 .

[44]  G. Vecchi,et al.  Experimental Tests of Microwave Breast Cancer Detection on Phantoms , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[45]  Elise C. Fear,et al.  Microwave detection of breast cancer , 2000 .

[46]  Ryan Halter,et al.  Design and implementation of a high frequency electrical impedance tomography system. , 2004, Physiological measurement.