Towards quantitative magnetic particle imaging: A comparison with magnetic particle spectroscopy

• Published in: AIP advances Vol. 8; no. 5; pp. 056712 - 056712-5
• Main Authors: Paysen, Hendrik, Wells, James, Kosch, Olaf, Steinhoff, Uwe, Trahms, Lutz, Schaeffter, Tobias, Wiekhorst, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIP Publishing LLC 01.05.2018
• ISSN: 2158-3226; 2158-3226
• DOI: 10.1063/1.5006391

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a quantitative imaging modality with promising features for several biomedical applications. Here, we study quantitatively the raw data obtained during MPI measurements. We present a method for the calibration of the MPI scanner output using measurements from a magnetic particle spectrometer (MPS) to yield data in units of magnetic moments. The calibration technique is validated in a simplified MPI mode with a 1D excitation field. Using the calibrated results from MPS and MPI, we determine and compare the detection limits for each system. The detection limits were found to be 5·10-12 Am2 for MPS and 3.6·10-10 Am2 for MPI. Finally, the quantitative information contained in a standard MPI measurement with a 3D excitation is analyzed and compared to the previous results, showing a decrease in signal amplitudes of the odd harmonics related to the case of 1D excitation. We propose physical explanations for all acquired results; and discuss the possible benefits for the improvement of MPI technology.