Magnetically-assisted Remote Control Steering of Endovascular Catheters in Interventional MRI

• Main Author: Settecase, Fabio
• Other Authors: Roberts, Timothy
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: MRI; 0760
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/11163

Current applied to coils wound at the tip of an endovascular catheter can be used to remotely steer a catheter tip in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. This study focuses on (1) derivation and experimental validation of an equation that characterizes the relationship between catheter tip deflection and a number of magnetic, mechanical, and physical factors, and (2) evaluation of resistive heating in a worst-case scenario due to application of current necessary for clinically significant deflections, and radiofrequency (RF) heating due to real-time MRI pulse sequences. The derived equation was found to accurately model the behavior of the specialized catheter tip. The equation also has implications for catheter design and device implementation, including minimization of resistive heating, which was physiologically significant (> 4°C) under certain worst-case scenario conditions. This catheter steering mechanism should improve navigational control and is a unique advantage offered by MRI-guidance of endovascular procedures.