MRI-compatible intensity-modulated force sensor for cardiac catheterization procedures.
This paper presents a novel, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible, force sensor suitable for cardiac catheterization procedures. The miniature, fiber-optic sensor is integrated with the tip of a catheter to allow the detection of interaction forces with the cardiac walls. The optical fiber light intensity is modulated when a force acting at the catheter tip deforms an elastic element, which, in turn, varies the distance between a reflector and the optical fiber. The tip sensor has an external diameter of 9 Fr (3 mm) and can be used during cardiac catheterization procedures. The sensor is able to measure forces in the range of 0-0.85 N, with relatively small hysteresis.  A nonlinear method for calibration is used and real-time MRI in vivo experiments are carried out, to prove the feasibility of this low-cost sensor, enabling the detection of catheter-tip contact forces under dynamic conditions.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, King’s College London, London, WC2R 2LS, UK. panagiotis.polygerinos@kcl.ac.uk
Panagiotis
P
Polygerinos
Asghar
A
Ataollahi
Tobias
T
Schaeffter
Reza
R
Razavi
Lakmal D
LD
Seneviratne
Kaspar
K
Althoefer
D000818:Animals; D002138:Calibration; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013552:Swine