Highlight Lecture
WEB Engineering magnetic nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents in neuronal electronic implants
Thursday (24.09.2020) 16:50 - 17:05 Z: Special Symposia I Part of:Neuropathologies are increasingly diagnosed and treated with subdural electrodes, where the localization of the electrode contacts with respect to the patient’s anatomy is a prerequisite for the procedure. Post-implantation electrode localization with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may eliminate the effort and errors inherent to cross-modality image co-registration together with ionizing radiation and localization deviations associated with brain shift and implant movement while providing superior soft tissue contrast for the identification of prevailing complications. Recent studies drew attention to the advantages of smaller electrode diameters, associated with high-density grids as they were considered ideal for clinical and research purposes. However, the localization of such electrode diameter in MRI has not been addressed so far. Here, we present the tailored synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with homogenous size and morphology based on a thermal decomposition reaction. Obtained nanoparticles were characterized and surface modified for their use as MRI contrast agents in hydrophobic silicone materials. Ex-vivo MRI measurements demonstrated their suitability for detecting electrode contacts of neuronal implants.
