Towards active guidewire visualization in interventional magnetic resonance imaging

MAGMA. 1996 Mar;4(1):13-8. doi: 10.1007/BF01759775.

Abstract

Improving the visibility of interventional devices is of paramount importance if MRI-guided fluoroscopy is to become a reality. Passive visualization is problematic in that the susceptibility-induced artifacts are material- and orientation-dependent. Here a concept is presented for making interventional devices visible. It involves fitting a device with a straight-wire antenna. As the sensitivity of such an antenna is highest for signal sources in the immediate neighborhood, using the antenna for reception gives an outline image. In this manner a guidewire or other interventional device could be made MRI-visible. The image appearance of a straight-wire antenna depends on the orientation of the device with respect to the main magnetic field and imaging plane. This phenomena is discussed theoretically and documented with MR images.

MeSH terms

  • Catheterization / methods
  • Fluoroscopy / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Mathematical Computing