A multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography system for real-time 2D and 3D imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Real-time imaging is crucial for dynamic biomedical processes.
• Existing Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) systems often face limitations in speed and multi-frequency capabilities.
• Advanced imaging techniques are needed for improved diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a configurable, fast multi-frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography (mfEIT) system.
• To enable real-time 2D and 3D imaging for biomedical applications.
• To develop a system with novel features for enhanced data acquisition and image reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fully adjustable multi-frequency current source with current monitoring.
• Implementation of a flexible switching scheme and semi-parallel data acquisition architecture.
• Integration of multi-frequency digital quadrature demodulation on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
• Creation of "Visual Tomography" software for 3D image reconstruction, analysis, and visualization.

Main Results:

• The mfEIT system achieved a highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 82.82 dB with a 16-electrode sensor.
• Frame rates reached up to 546 fps in serial mode and 1014 fps in semi-parallel mode.
• Systematic testing demonstrated robust performance in 2D and 3D multi-frequency phantom imaging.

Conclusions:

• The developed mfEIT system is a powerful tool for high-speed, real-time 2D and 3D imaging.
• The system's configurable nature and advanced features support diverse biomedical imaging needs.
• This technology holds significant potential for advancing diagnostic and monitoring capabilities in medicine.