Magnetocardiography

Definition: Magnetocardiography is the measurement of magnetic fields emitted by the human heart from small currents by electrically active cells of the heart muscle. The measurement of these fields over the torso provides information which is complementary to that provided by electrocardiography, used especially in diagnosing abnormalities of heart function.

Accepted term(s): MCG, Magnetocardiogram, Magnetocardiograms.

Word origin: The word magnetocardiography originates from three Greek words magnetos meaning magnetic field, kardio meaning heart, and graphi meaning to write on, together signify magnetic field recording of the heart.

First used: Baule and McFee [1].

Brief History of Magnetocardiography

(1963) Gerhard Baule and Richard McFee of Syracuse University first recorded biomagnetic field of the heart, magnetocardiogram, with a set of induction coils [1].
(1970) David Cohen et al. of MIT first used SQUID magnetometer to record magnetocardiogram [2].
(1974) Kariniemi et al. first recorded fetal magnetocardiogram [3].
(1981) Livanov et al. first used an optically-pumped magnetometer,operated at room temperature, to record the human magnetocardiogram [4].
(1990) Schneider et al. first used multichannel magnetocardiography system covering the whole chest [5].
(1994) Konrad Brockmeier et al. first recorded exercise magnetocardiogram of healthy voluntiers [6].
(1994) Saburo Tanaka et al. of Superconducting Sensor Laboratory and Itami Research Laboratories of Sumitomo Electric Industries first used HTS SQUID system to record magnetocardiogram [7].
(1995) Peter Van Leeuwen et al. of Entwicklungs- und Forschungszentrum für Mikrotherapie (EFMT) Bochum first report (PubMed) of the registration of fetal arrhythmia FMCG [8].
(1996) Meinhard Schilling et al. of Universität Hamburg first used a handheld SQUID system to record magnetocardiogram [9].
(2000) Helena Hänninen et al. of Helsinki University Central Hospital first detected exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in single vessel coronary artery disease [10].
(2002) Bison et al. of Université de Fribourg first used a laser magnetometer, operated at room temperature, to map the dynamics of the human magnetocardiogram with a millisecond resolution [11].

(suggest relevant additions)

References

[1] G.M. Baule and R. McFee, "Detection of the Magnetic Field of the Heart", Am. Heart J., 66, 95-96, (1963).

[2] D. Cohen, E.A. Edelsack and J.E. Zimmerman, "Magnetocardiograms taken inside a shielded room with a superconducting point-contact magnetometer", Appl.Phys. Lett., 16, 278-280, (1970).

[3] V. Kariniemi, J. Ahopelto, P.J. Karp, and T.E. Katila, "The fetal magnetocardiogram", J. Perinat. Med., 2, 214-216, (1974).

[4] M. N. Livanov, A. N. Kozlov, S. E. Sinelnikova, Ju. A. Kholodov, V. P. Markin, A. M. Gorbach, A. V. Korinewsky, "Record of the human magnetocardiogram by the quantum gradiometer with optical pumping", Adv. Cardiol. 28, 78-80 (1981).

[5] S. Schneider, E. Hoenig, H. Reichenberger, K, Abraham-Fucks, W. Moshage, W. Oppelt, A. Stefan, A. Weikl, and A. Wirth, "Multichannel biomagnetic system for study of electrical activity of the brain and the heart.", Radiology 176, 825-830, (1990).

[6] K. Brockmeier, S. Comani, S.N. Erné, S. Di Luzio, A. Pasquarelli, and G.L. Romani, "Magnetocardiography and exercise testing", J. Electrocardiol. 27, 137-142, (1994).

[7] S. Tanaka, H. Itozaki, H. Toyoda, N. Harada, A. Adachi, K. Okajima, H. Kado, and T. Nagaishi, "Four-channel YBa2Cu3O7-y dc SQUID magnetometer for biomagnetic measurements", Appl. Phys. Lett., 64, 514-516, (1994).

[8] P. Van Leeuwen, M. Schussler, H. Bettermann, S. Lange, W. Hatzmann, "Magnetocardiography for assessment of fetal heart actions",Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 1995; 55(11):642-6

[9] M. Schilling, S. Krey, and R. Scharnweber, "Biomagnetic Measurements with an Integrated YBa2Cu3O7 Magnetometer in a handheld Cryostat", Appl. Phys. Lett., 69, 2749-2751, (1996).

[10] H. Hänninen, P. Takala, M. Mäkijärvi, J. Montonen, P. Korhonen, L. Oikarinen, J. Nenonen, T. Katila, L. Toivonen, "Detection of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia by multichannel magnetocardiography in single vessel corronary artery disease", Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiography, 5, 147-157, (2000).

[11] G. Bison, R. Wynands, A. Weis, "A laser-pumped magnetometer for the mapping of human cardio-magnetic fields", Appl. Phys. B 76, 325-328, (2003) (Online publication).