MR guidance of vascular interventions

Abstract

Several groups have been working on the development of new techniques for performing endovascular radiological interventions guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instead of X-ray fluoroscopy. We briefly review the three main strategies that have been proposed for performing MR-guided endovascular interventions: active tracking, passive tracking and the technique of locally induced field inhomogeneity. For each approach, the used MR scan techniques, image processing and visualization tools, the development of MR-dedicated guide wires and catheters, and the main results are discussed.