Use of a superconducting instrumentation for biomagnetic measurements performed in a hospital

A superconducting instrumentation has been set up to perform biomagnetic measurements for screening analysis in one of Rome hospitals. The magnetic detector is a 2nd derivative gradiometer, which can be balanced against both spatially uniform fields and field gradients. The overall noise level issim 4 times 10^{-14}T.Hz-½ in the frequency range 0.5 ÷ 3000Hz. Main efforts are devoted to the recording of magnetocardio-graphic maps of normal and abnormal subjects while a detailed analysis of some segments of the heart cycle is carried on in subjects previously investigated by means of other techniques. Magnetomyograms of normal and abnormal subjects are detected and studied in the frequency domain. Magnetoencephalographic power spectra of various subjects have been mapped as well. Most remarkable results so far collected are presented. Some of the measurements have been performed in the hospital and some in the laboratory, always without the aid of any shielding.