Depth limitations for in vivo magnetic nanoparticle detection with a compact handheld device

The increasing interest for local detection of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) during clinical interventions requires the development of suitable probes that unambiguously detect the MNPs at a depth of several centimeters in the body. The present study quantitatively evaluates the limitations of a conventional magnetometry method using a sinusoidal alternating field. This method is limited by the variability of the magnetic susceptibility of the surrounding diamagnetic tissue. Two different sensors are evaluated in a theoretical model of MNP detection in a tissue volume. For a coil that completely encloses the sample volume, the MNPs can be detected if the total mass contributing to the signal is larger than 4.1×10^-7 times the tissue mass. For a handheld surface coil, intended to search for the MNPs in a larger tissue volume, an amount of 1 μg of iron oxide cannot be detected by sensors with a diameter larger than 15 mm. To detect a spot with MNPs at 5 cm depth in tissue, it should contain at least 325 μg iron oxide. Therefore, for high-sensitive clinical MNP detection in surgical interventions, techniques with increased specificity for the nonlinear magnetic properties of MNPs are indispensable.