• Progress in Superconductivity
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.46-53
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• 2006

Magnetocardiography(MCG) has been proposed as a novel and non-invasive diagnostic tool for the detection of cardiac electrical abnormality associated with myocardial ischemia. In our previous study, we have proposed a new classification method of MCG parameters, based on the different populations of the parameters between coronary artery disease(CAD) patients, symptomatic patients and healthy volunteers. We used four parameters, representing the directional changes of the electrical activity in the period of an R-ST-T interval. In patients with chest pain and without ST-segment elevation, who were selected consecutively from all patients admitted to the hospital in 2004, the patients with CAD could be classified with a higher sensitivity than conventional methods, showing that the proposed method can be useful for the diagnosis of CAD with MCG. In this study, we examined the validity of the algorithm with the prior probability distribution in diagnosis of new patients admitted to the hospital in 2005. In the results, presence of CAD could be found with sensitivity and specificity of 81.3% and 71.4%, respectively, in patients with chest pain and non-diagnostic ECG findings.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Measurement of magnetic signals generated from electric activity of myocardium provides useful information for the functional diagnosis of heart diseases. Key technical component of the magnetocardiography (MCG) technology is SQUID. To measure MCG signals with high signal-to-noise ratio, sensitive SQUID magnetic field sensors are needed. Present magnetic field sensors based on Nb SQUIDs have field sensitivity good enough to measure most of MCG signals. However, for accurate measurement of fine signal pattern or detection of local atrial fibrillation signals, we may need higher field sensitivity. In addition to field sensitivity, economic aspect of the SQUID system is also important. To simplify the SQUID readout electronics, the output voltage or flux-to-voltage transfer of SQUID should be large enough so that direct measurement of SQUID output can be done using room-temperature preamplifiers. Double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS), having about 10 times larger flux-to-voltage transfers than those of DC-SQUIDs, was shown to be a good choice to make the electronics compact. For effective cancellation of external noise inside a thin economic shielded room, first-order axial gradiometer with high balance, simple structure and long-baseline is needed. We developed a technology to make the axial gradiometer compact using direct bonding of superconductive wires between pickup coil and input coil. Conventional insert has mechanical support to hold the gradiometer array, and the dewar neck has equal diameter with the dewar bottom. Boiling of the liquid He can generate mechanical vibrations in the gradiometer array due to mechanical connection structure. Elimination of the mechanical support, and direct mounting of the gradiometer array into the dewar bottom can reduce the dewar neck diameter, resulting in the reduction of liquid He consumption.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2008

Magnetocardiography (MCG) is a non-contact, non-invasive, and harmless diagnostic tool to detect the abnormal electrical conductivities of the heart caused by the various coronary artery disease or cardiac muscular disease. The purpose of this study is to identify whether MCG signals and MCG parameter values vary depending on the location of sensor assembly. It will be an important reference for the standard measurement. Four healthy male subjects (33.3$\pm$6.3 years) participated in this study. Basal recording was made at 20 mm apart from the chest surface. All subjects were requested to take a regular breathe while MCG was taken. The gap between the chest surface and the bottom of the sensor assembly was 20, 40, 60, and 80 mm. Recording was made using 64 channel MCG system (Axial type, first order gradiometer) developed by Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). After resting for two minutes in a supine position on the bed in magnetically shielded room, MCG were recorded for 30 s. As the sensor location is getting away from the chest surface signal, the amplitude of R and T wave peak decreases to 70% (at 40 mm gap), 50% (at 60 mm), and 37% (at 80 mm) of the reference strength measured (y = $1.3903e^{-0.0169x}$, $R^2$ = 0.99; where y=amplitude remained after reduction, x=distance between chest surface and sensor location). The regression equations may be used as a good reference to calculate how much strength will be decreased by the distance. In MCG parameters, most values of parameters were decreased as the gap was increased. As an example, the current moment at T-wave peak reduced to 52% (at 40 mm gap), 33% (at 60 mm), and 19% (at 80 mm). However, the difference caused by the gap could be reduced by considering the distance when the MCG parameters were calculated. The study results can be used as a useful reference to design the baseline and the sensor location.

• 센서학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.110-113
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• 2004

We have designed and fabricated the YBCO single layer directly-coupled SQUID magnetometers for the purpose of magnetocardiography in a magnetically disturbed environment. The SQUID magnetometers were designed three different types of pickup coil such as solid type, PL type I and PL type II for further stable fluxed-locked-loop operation without magnetic shielding. Magnetometer was fabricated with a single layer YBCO thin film deposited on STO(100) bicrystal substrate with misorientation angle of $30^{\circ}$. We have achieved a magnetic field noise BN of 30 fT/$Hz^{1/2}$ at 100 Hz, and less than 70 fT/$Hz^{1/2}$ at 1 Hz. The PL type II SQUIDs have exhibited the most stable fluxed-locked-loop operation in a magnetically unshielded environment.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.6-11
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• 2008

Multi-channel magnetocardiography (MCG) has been proposed to detect ischemic heart disease because its sensitivity is quite high comparing with other conventional diagnostic tools. Especially, current map and magnetic field map of MCG provide crucial information on whether myocardiac muscles maintain the normal conduction pathway. In addition, MCG parameters derived from repolarization are useful to detect coronary artery disease. Recently, there was a study reporting that R- and T- wave amplitude are highly correlated with ischemic heart disease. In this study, we studied R- and T-wave amplitude and their ratio as well as MCG parameters. MCG data from 20 young, 20 age-matched controls, and 20 myocardial infarction (MI) patients were analyzed. As a result, MCG parameters showed significant change in MI patients comparing to those of controls. R- and T-wave amplitude of MI patients showed a feature of severe ischemic heart disease even though it was difficult to find consistent values. Further study is needed to reveal the relations between small T-wave amplitude and coronary artery disease.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.23-28
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• 2007

In order to have a superconductive connection between the wire-wound pickup coil and input coil, typically Nb terminal blocks with screw holes are used. Since this connection structure occupies large volume, large stray pickup area can be generated which can pickup external noise fields. Thus, SQUID and connection block are shielded inside a superconducting tube, and this SQUID module is located at some distance from the distal coil of the gradiometer to minimize the distortion or imbalance of uniform background field due to the superconducting module. To operate this conventional SQUID module, we need a higher liquid He level, resulting in shorter refill interval. To make the fabrication of gradiometers simpler and refill interval longer, we developed a novel method of connecting the pickup coil into the input coil. Gradiometer coil wound of 0.125-mm diameter NbTi wires were glued close to the input coil pads of SQUID. The superconductive connection was made using an ultrasonic bonding of annealed 0.025-mm diameter Nb wires, bonded directly on the surface of NbTi wires where insulation layer was stripped out. The reliability of the superconductive bonding was good enough to sustain several thermal cycling. The stray pickup area due to this connection structure is about $0.1\;mm^2$, much smaller than the typical stray pickup area using the conventional screw block method. By using this compact connection structure, the position of the SQUID sensor is only about 20-30 mm from the distal coil of the gradiometer. Based on this compact module, we fabricated a magnetocardiography system having 61 first-order axial gradiometers, and measured MCG signals. The gradiometers have a coil diameter of 20 mm, and the baseline is 70 mm. The 61 axial gradiometer bobbins were distributed in a hexagonal lattice structure with a sensor interval of 26 mm, measuring $dB_z/dz$ component of magnetocardiography signals.

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국초전도학회 2006년도 High Temperature Superconductivity Vol.XVI
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• pp.55-55
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• 2006

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국초전도학회 2007년도 High Temperature Superconductivity Vol.XVII
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• pp.51-51
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• 2007

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국초전도학회 2007년도 High Temperature Superconductivity Vol.XVII
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• pp.59-59
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• 2007

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국초전도학회 2007년도 High Temperature Superconductivity Vol.XVII
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• pp.58-58
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• 2007