Biomagnetic Devices
Electrical measurements of physiological potentials are well established in clinical diagnostics. The flow of an electrical current creates a corresponding magnetic field. Thus bioelectric activity will generate biomagnetic fields. These fields can be detected with Tristan SQUID magnetometers. For many of the classical electrical techniques such as ECG and EEG, there are corresponding magnetic techniques (magnetocardiography or MCG and magnetoencephalography or MEG). In some cases (magnetopneumography, hepatic iron store measurements, intestinal ischemia, peripheral nerve and muscle activity), there is no corresponding electrical technique and biomagnetic measurements offer unique measurement capabilities. Unlike CT or MRI imaging which yield structural information, biomagnetic measurements offer real-time functional imaging.
