It is widely accepted that the heart current source can be reduced into a current multipole. By adopting three linear inverse methods, the cardiac magnetic imaging is achieved in this article based on the current multipole model expanded to the first order terms. This magnetic imaging is realized in a reconstruction plane in the centre of human heart, where the current dipole array is employed to represent realistic cardiac current distribution. The current multipole as testing source generates magnetic fields in the measuring plane, serving as inputs of cardiac magnetic inverse problem. In the heart-torso model constructed by boundary element method, the current multipole magnetic field distribution is compared with that in the homogeneous infinite space, and also with the single current dipole magnetic field distribution. Then the minimum-norm least-squares （MNLS） method, the optimal weighted pseudoinverse method （OWPIM）, and the optimal constrained linear inverse method （OCLIM） are selected as the algorithms for inverse computation based on current multipole model innovatively, and the imaging effects of these three inverse methods are compared. Besides, two reconstructing parameters, residual and mean residual, are also discussed, and their trends under MNLS, OWPIM and OCLIM each as a function of SNR are obtained and compared.
In this paper, we present a magnetocardiogram （MCG） simulation study using the boundary element method （BEM） and based on the virtual heart model and the realistic human volume conductor model. The different contributions of cardiac equivalent source models and volume conductor models to the MCG are deeply and comprehensively investigated. The single dipole source model, the multiple dipoles source model and the equivalent double layer （EDL） source model are analysed and compared with the cardiac equivalent source models. Meanwhile, the effect of the volume conductor model on the MCG combined with these cardiac equivalent sources is investigated. The simulation results demonstrate that the cardiac electrophysiological information will be partly missed when only the single dipole source is taken, while the EDL source is a good option for MCG simulation and the effect of the volume conductor is smallest for the EDL source. Therefore, the EDL source is suitable for the study of MCG forward and inverse problems, and more attention should be paid to it in future MCG studies.
In order to eliminate the influence of the large-amplitude magnetic field noise that has complicated magnetocardio- graphic studies since October 2009, we have performed high-accuracy measurement of the environmental magnetic field noise in the vicinity of Beijing Subway Line 4 using a three-component height Tc radio frequency （rf） superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID）. By analysing the spatial form and other characteristics of the time and the fre- quency domains and by calculating the circumferential magnetic field distribution based on a duel-end feeding system model, we reach the following conclusions： （i） the main source of magnetic field noise is the magnetic field generated by thel subway trains, and （ii） the magnetic field interference results mainly from the imbalance between traction current and return rail current that is caused by the leakage current.
