A Novel Approach to Magnetocardiographic Forward Problem: Implementation of Magneto Impedance Sensor Arrays with Extracted Transmembrane Potentials

This study implements a novel approach to experimentally investigate forward problem in magnetocardiography (MCG) using magneto-impedance (MI) sensors. A source model comprising a coil carrying pulsed current was employed to mimic heart’s electrical activity at eight distinct locations. Five MI sensors were placed in a cross-shaped configuration to detect magnetic field generated by the source model. Lead field matrix, which relates magnetic field generated on each node to heart’s electrical activity using these measurements was computed from collected magnetic field data. Transmembrane potential waveforms for eight heart locations, extracted from ECGSIM software, were utilized to resolve the forward problem, estimating magnetic field distribution on the body surface. By combining lead field matrix with simulated source model, these magnetic field distribution on body surface was estimated. Experimental results were validated through visual mapping and comparison with the measured magnetic field data using SCIRUN problem-solving environment. Our findings provide insights into the accuracy and limitations of current MCG forward problem solutions, potentially advancing non-invasive cardiac diagnostics and imaging techniques.