Quantification of fluid flow through a clinical blood filter and kidney dialyzer using magnetic resonance imaging

This paper demonstrates that magnetic resonance imaging can be used to visualize the internal structures and measure the flow velocity field within medical devices which are designed for clinical use (e.g., blood filters) or patient care (e.g., kidney dialyzers). Importantly, both the physical structure of and the flow field in such devices can be quantified in three dimensions.

I. Introduction

The ever widening use of medical devices in clinical health care, coupled with the enhanced sophistication of their functions, has created a need for methods whereby their operational efficiency and safety can be quantified. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utilization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of two medical devices designed for the processing of body fluids, specifically a blood filter and a kidney dialysis cartridge. This evaluative process can be performed not only during the design and manufacturing phase, but also during subsequent clinical use. The present study is complementary to work applying MRI in other engineering fields [1]–[3].