Blood flow imaging using electrical impedance tomography.

It is shown that a real-time electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system can be used to image the flow of saline through the human vascular system. A 10 ml bolus of 0.9% saline injected intravenously distal to an EIT imaging plane allows venous flow to be observed. Measurements on a cylindrical tank with flow along axial conductive tubes have been used to establish that the area under a concentration against time curve can be obtained from the EIT images and used to determine the flow rate down the tube. In vivo results show that flow images of the venous system in a limb can be obtained and that there is adequate sensitivity to follow the passage of a saline bolus though the cardiac chambers.