title: MR-guided balloon angioplasty: in vitro demonstration of the potential of MRI for guiding, monitoring, and evaluating endovascular interventions.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the potential of MRI for guiding, monitoring, and evaluating endovascular interventions. This was done by investigating the feasibility of MR-guided balloon angioplasty in a stenosed vessel model. Catheters and guidewires were prepared for susceptibility-based MR visualization by incorporating paramagnetic markers into their walls. Near real-time monitoring (up to 1 image/sec) of the interventional procedure was achieved by using a dynamic two-dimensional gradient-echo technique. Devices were localized by on-the-fly subtraction of a baseline image from consecutive dynamic images and by merging the subtraction images with a previously acquired road map. All steps involved in balloon angioplasty, from the introduction and placement of a guidewire to the positioning of a catheter across the stenosis, inflation of the balloon, and dilatation of the stenosis could adequately be monitored with MR fluoroscopy. The beneficial effect of dilatation could be substantiated by a reduction of stenosis-related hypointensities and hyperintensities in the posttreatment MR angiogram as compared to the pretreatment angiogram and by a posttreatment increase of the volumetric flow rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Image Sciences Institute, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands. cbakker@rrn.azu.nl
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Weide
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Zuiderveld
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Vaals
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Hurtak
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Viergever
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Mali
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000628:therapy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000379:methods