Magnets in medicine

Abstract

As permanent magnet materials have developed, attempts have been made to take advantage of their improved properties in medical applications. Uses of magnets in medical applications range from their simple use for retention, through orthopaedics and fracture healing, to magnetomotive artificial hearts and pioneering brain surgery, where magnets are used to guide catheters. Magnets also find use in applications such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and drug delivery systems. This overview, based on an extensive review of the literature, chronicles the development of magnets in medicine and summarises areas where future research will be beneficial.