Magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) for high-resolution conductivity imaging

Cross-sectional imaging of an electrical conductivity distribution inside the human body has been an active research goal in impedance imaging. By injecting current into an electrically conducting object through surface electrodes, we induce current density and voltage distributions. Based on the fact that these are determined by the conductivity distribution as well as the geometry of the object and the adopted electrode configuration, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) reconstructs cross-sectional conductivity images using measured current-voltage data on the surface. Unfortunately, there exist inherent technical difficulties in EIT. First, the relationship between the boundary current-voltage data and the internal conductivity distribution bears a nonlinearity and low sensitivity, and hence the inverse problem of recovering the conductivity distribution is ill posed. Second, it is difficult to obtain accurate information on the boundary geometry and electrode positions in practice, and the inverse problem is sensitive to these modeling errors as well as measurement artifacts and noise. These result in EIT images with a poor spatial resolution. In order to produce high-resolution conductivity images, magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) has been lately developed. Noting that injection current produces a magnetic as well as electric field inside the imaging object, we can measure the induced internal magnetic flux density data using an MRI scanner. Utilization of the internal magnetic flux density is the key idea of MREIT to overcome the technical difficulties in EIT. Following original ideas on MREIT in early 1990s, there has been a rapid progress in its theory, algorithm and experimental techniques. The technique has now advanced to the stage of human experiments. Though it is still a few steps away from routine clinical use, its potential is high as a new impedance imaging modality providing conductivity images with a spatial resolution of a few millimeters or less. This paper reviews MREIT from the basics to the most recent research outcomes. Focusing on measurement techniques and experimental methods rather than mathematical issues, we summarize what has been done and what needs to be done. Suggestions for future research directions, possible applications in biomedicine, biology, chemistry and material science are discussed.