Context and challenges

Pulmonary embolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease and remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Current diagnostic imaging techniques, including computed tomography pulmonary angiography and ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy, rely on ionizing radiation, raising important safety concerns for women, particularly during pregnancy, where both maternal breast tissue and the fetus may be exposed.

Objective

This project aims to develop a novel, radiation-free imaging approach for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in women using Magnetic Particle Imaging. Inspired by conventional lung perfusion scintigraphy, the strategy consists of engineering superparamagnetic iron oxide particle aggregates that can transiently lodge within the pulmonary microvasculature and be detected by MPI. this work seeks to establish a safer and highly sensitive imaging modality for the diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary embolism, particularly in pregnant women.