Magnetorheography; calculation of blood flow from surface induced potentials

Jpn Heart J. 1975 Nov;16(6):694-708. doi: 10.1536/ihj.16.694.

Abstract

This research is an attempt to measure blood flow without doing any hurt to the body. When the body is placed in a high magnetic field the blood-flow-induced electromotive force (EMF) can be detected with the surface electrodes using the same principle as an electromagnetic flow-meter. This blood flow measurement is named magnetorheography (its recording: MRG). A theoretical analysis of the potential in the tissue shows that blood flow can be calculated from the surface-induced EMF (MRG) without measuring the radius and the depth of the vessel from the skin surface, when the surface is fairly flat in the vicinity of the vessel. A model experiment verified the theory. In order to apply the theory to the measurement in an in situ situation, a structural coefficient was introduced which is related to the external shape, internal tissue compositions and their impedance of the body. Using such a coefficient the flow calculated from MRG, by an equation including the coefficient, agreed with the flow actually recorded. In experiments on the thighs of 8 dogs weighing 7 to 17 Kg, MRG proved to be proportional to arterial flow and the coefficients were approximately constant. These results indicate that blood flow may possibly be estimated by the calculation from MRG.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Flow Velocity*
  • Blood Vessels / physiology
  • Dogs
  • Electrodes
  • Electromagnetic Phenomena*
  • Femoral Artery / physiology
  • Methods
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Rheology
  • Skin Physiological Phenomena