Electric Properties Tomography using MRI

According to the recently developed approach "Electric Properties Tomography" (EPT), the electric conductivity and permittivity of a patient might be derived from the spatial sensitivity distribution of the RF coils used in a standard magnetic resonance system. The approach is comparable with the well-known “Electrical Impedance Tomography” (EIT), however, might have significant advantages with respect to the experimental handling and the spatial resolution. Imaging the patient’s electric properties might help to distinguish between tumours and healthy tissue, between necrotic and vital tissue after a myocardial infarction, or might help to characterize brain tissue in connection with stroke. Moreover, EPT might enable the estimation of local SAR, i.e., the patient heading during an MRI scan.