Magneto-Acoustic-Electrical Tomography

Magneto-Acoustic-Electrical Tomography (MAET) is an innovative non-invasive imaging modality that synergistically combines magnetic induction and ultrasonic detection to map tissue electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. A time-varying magnetic field induces eddy currents within the conductive medium, which interact with a static magnetic field to generate Lorentz forces; these forces produce detectable acoustic waves via the magnetoacoustic effect. The generated ultrasound signals are captured by external transducers and processed to reconstruct spatially-resolved conductivity and elasticity distributions.

The technique offers complementary contrasts to conventional modalities, with enhanced sensitivity to physiological and pathological variations in conductivity and stiffness. Typical spatial resolution reaches the millimeter scale (∼1 mm), while temporal resolution is on the order of seconds, making MAET suitable for dynamic studies of tissue function and pathology. Current research focuses on improving signal-to-noise ratio, optimizing coil-transducer configurations, and advancing reconstruction algorithms.