Magnetic resonance current density imaging is a recent MR technique used to image electric current flow. We produced images of non-uniform and uniform electric current density in conductor phantoms containing NMR active nuclei using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A spin echo imaging sequence with an addition of current pulse is developed for this purpose. The flux density parallel to the main imaging field, generated by the current pulse, is encoded in the phase of the MR image. The spatial distribution of magnetic flux density can therefore be extracted from the phase image. As magnetic flux density is imaged, spatial distribution of current density can be calculated, based on Ampere's law. Current density imaging may have potential biomedical applications in understanding externally applied electric fields to the body (e.g. defibrillation fields) and measurement of lead-sensitivity maps for bio-electric imaging. Since biological tissues have different electrical properties, it may be possible to obtain anatomical and functional information from current density images.
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