title: Miniature self-contained intravascular magnetic resonance (IVMI) probe for clinical applications.
abstract: A miniature (1.73 mm in diameter) NMR probe, which contains a magnet and a radiofrequency (RF) coil, is presented. This probe is integrated at the tip of a standard catheter and can be inserted into the human coronary arteries, creating local magnetic fields needed to obtain the NMR signal from the blood vessel walls, without the need for external magnet or RF coils. The basic theory governing the probe performance in terms of signal-to-noise-ratio and contrast parameters is presented, along with measured results from test samples. The NMR signal can be analyzed to obtain tissue contrast parameters such as T1, T2 and the diffusion coefficient, which may be used to detect lipid-rich vulnerable plaques in the coronary arteries.
authors.affiliation: Topspin Medical (Israel), Ltd., Global Park, Lod, Israel. ab359@cornell.edu
authors.forename: Aharon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alexandrowicz
authors.forename: Lev
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muchnik
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tidhar
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneiderman
authors.forename: Renu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Virmani
authors.forename: Erez
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Golan
mesh_terms: D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D002404:Catheterization; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008280:Magnetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008904:Miniaturization; D014159:Transducers