Characterization of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles using a Micro-CT Phantom Estimation of Iron Concentration in Ferrofluids

This paper introduces micro computed tomography (micro-CT) as a method for the determination of iron concentration of ferrofluids and thus an alternative to photometry or atomic absorption spectroscopy. A phantom has been designed and an evaluation software has been implemented, which enable the user to determine the concentration without chemical processing of the ferrofluid. First results raise expectations that an accurate determination of the iron concentration is possible with micro-CT. This approach is of particular interest in the field of medical imaging, where it could be used for technical validation of new iron-tracer based modalities as magnetic particle imaging, promising quantitative images. One application with great potential is the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide tracers in lymph node biopsies instead of radioactive tracers. However, before the method can be applied in human imaging, CT could be used to determine the iron concentration in lymph nodes of a mouse model, without depending on invasive techniques as histologic staining.