Use of a nonmetallic guide wire for magnetic resonance-guided coronary artery catheterization.
OBJECTIVE
Metallic guide wires can be subject to substantial heating when used in the magnetic resonance (MR) environment. Therefore, animal experiments were performed to test the feasibility of a non-metallic and MR-safe guide wire with passive markers for catheterization of coronary arteries under MR guidance.


METHODS
Self-made guide wires consisting of a resin-microparticle compound covered by polytetrafluoroethylene were used to catheterize both coronary arteries of swine together with a non-braided catheter. Time needed for catheterization was recorded.


RESULTS
MR-guided coronary artery catheterization with passive visualization of a self-made non-metallic guide wire is possible. In average 141 seconds (SD 68) were needed to manipulate the guide wire together with a catheter from the carotid artery into the left or right coronary artery ostium.


CONCLUSIONS
Standard nitinol guide wires have to be considered unsafe for MR-guided interventions due to possible heating of electrical conducting structures in the MR environment. Passive visualization techniques allow MR-guided catheterization of small arteries like coronaries. However, there is the substantial disadvantage of obscuring the underlying anatomy of small vessels by the passive markers needed for real-time MR guidance.
Clinic of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital, Aachen, Germany. buecker@ rad.rwth-aachen.de
Arno
A
Buecker
Elmar
E
Spuentrup
Thomas
T
Schmitz-Rode
Sylvia
S
Kinzel
Jochen
J
Pfeffer
Christian
C
Hohl
Joop J
JJ
van Vaals
Rolf W
RW
Günther
D000818:Animals; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D013552:Swine
D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene