Fiber-Optic Cardiorespiratory Monitoring and Triggering in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

During the past decades, fiber-optic technology has become a very popular tool for vital signs monitoring. Thanks to its advantageous properties, such as noninvasiveness, biocompatibility, and resistance to electromagnetic interferences, this methodology started to be explored under the conditions of a magnetic resonance (MR) environment. This review article presents the motivation and possibilities of using fiber-optic sensors (FOSs) in MR environment and summarizes the studies dealing with experimental validation of their compatibility with MR. Several aspects of the presented issue are highlighted and discussed, such as suitability of the fiber-optic approach for MR triggering, precision of vital sign detection, development of sensor designs, and its application to patient’s body. From the literature review, it can be concluded that FOSs have promising future in the field of cardiorespiratory monitoring in MR environment. This is mainly due to their advantages originating from sensing mechanical signals instead of electrical ones, which makes them resistant to MR interference and extrasystoles. Moreover, these sensors are easy to use, reusable, and suitable for combined monitoring. However, there are several shortcomings that should be solved in future research before introducing them to clinical practice, namely, signal’s delay or optimal placement of sensors.