Real-time imaging of traumatic brain injury using magnetic induction tomography

Abstract

Abstract Early diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is crucial for its prognosis; however, traditional computed tomography (CT) diagnostic methods rely on large medical devices with an associated lag time to receive results. In the present study, an improved magnetic induction tomography (MIT) data acquisition system was used to detect TBI in an animal model, distinguish the injury level, and locate the injured area. A pneumatically controlled cortical impactor was used to hammer the parietal lobe of anesthetized rabbits twice and three times under the same parameter mode to construct two different TBI rabbit models with significantly different degrees of damage (p = 0.0020). The MIT data acquisition system was used to record data and continuous monitoring for one hour without intervention. A target with increased conductivity is clearly observed in the reconstructed image. The position is relatively fixed and accurate, and the average positioning error of the image is 0.01372 m. The normalized mean reconstruction value of all images increased with time. The slope of the regression line of the normalized mean reconstruction value differed significantly between the two models (p < 0.0001). This indicates that in the animal model, MIT's unique features may facilitate the early diagnosis and localization of TBI and distinguish different degrees of injuries, thereby reducing the risk and mortality of associated complications.