Development of a Low-Cost and Compact Medical Image Reconstruction Platform Based on EIT Technique

Abstract

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an important imaging modality in non-invasive and radiation-free image reconstruction techniques. With the advantages of real-time imaging capabilities, portability, and safety features, EIT has acquired substantial significance as a valuable technique for lung patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, a significant challenge arises when many COVID-19 patients need to utilize EIT devices for monitoring and treatment. To address this problem, a low-cost and compact wireless communication EIT platform was developed for impedance image reconstruction and real-time monitoring of human lung operations. Since the system was structured as a platform, it can be readily replicated and scaled up in emergencies. The proposed system consisted of 16 electrodes placed on the chest of the lung patients. A stable current was injected into the object through a pair of adjacent electrodes, while the voltage was measured on the remaining electrode pairs using a lock-in amplifier. The electrical impedance between each electrode pair was determined based on Ohm’s law. Experimental results showed that the system could reconstruct the shape and the position of objects inside the medium with high accuracy. The average blur radius and percentage of the location error of the reconstructed image were 1.01 ± 0.28 and 5.18 ± 1.35%, respectively. Furthermore, images showing the operation of the human lung were also observed by the proposed system, confirming the possibility of using the system in clinical applications. The proposed EIT system with wireless communication is a potential study for large-scale implementation, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.