title: Feasibility of real-time MRI with a novel carbon catheter for interventional electrophysiology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac MRI offers 3D real-time imaging with unsurpassed soft tissue contrast without x-ray exposure. To minimize safety concerns and imaging artifacts in MR-guided interventional electrophysiology (EP), we aimed at developing a setup including catheters for ablation therapy based on carbon technology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The setup, including a steerable carbon catheter, was tested for safety, image distortion, and feasibility of diagnostic EP studies and radiofrequency ablation at 1.5 T. MRI was performed in 3 different 1.5-T whole-body scanners using various receive coils and pulse sequences. To assess unintentional heating of the catheters by radiofrequency pulses of the MR scanner in vitro, a fluoroptic thermometry system was used to record heating at the catheter tip. Programmed stimulation and ablation therapy was performed in 8 pigs. There was no significant heating of the carbon catheters while using short, repetitive radiofrequency pulses from the MR system. Because there was no image distortion when using the carbon catheters, exact targeting of the lesion sites was possible. Both atrial and ventricular radiofrequency ablation procedures including atrioventricular node modulation were performed successfully in the scanner. Potential complications such as pericardial effusion after intentional perforation of the right ventricular free wall during ablation could be monitored in real time as well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe a newly developed EP technology for interventional electrophysiology based on carbon catheters. The feasibility of this approach was demonstrated by safety testing and performing EP studies and ablation therapy with carbon catheters in the MRI environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nordbeck
authors.forename: Wolfgang R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fidler
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warmuth
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nahrendorf
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maxfield
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wurtz
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Geistert
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broscheit
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Jakob
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ritter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon