Ferromagnetic particles as magnetic resonance imaging temperature sensors.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27503610.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms12415 and PMC identifier 4980494.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging is an important technique for identifying different types of tissues in a body or spatial information about composite materials. Because temperature is a fundamental parameter reflecting the biological status of the body and individual tissues, it would be helpful to have temperature maps superimposed on spatial maps. Here we show that small ferromagnetic particles with a strong temperature-dependent magnetization, can be used to produce temperature-dependent images in magnetic resonance imaging with an accuracy of about 1 °C. This technique, when further developed, could be used to identify inflammation or tumours, or to obtain spatial maps of temperature in various medical interventional procedures such as hyperthermia and thermal ablation. This method could also be used to determine temperature profiles inside nonmetallic composite materials.