Other

Case Western Reserve University

Frank K Wacker

Jeffrey L Duerk

Jonathan S Lewin

Robbert M Maes

Methods for confirming location of a catheter tip relative to a targeted location in a blood vessel of a subject and improving visualization of the blood vessels downstream of the catheter tip are provided. The methods comprise acquiring and displaying a first modified MR image of the subject's blood vessels between an insertion site for the catheter and the targeted location; acquiring and displaying a sequence of modified MR images of the blood vessels to monitor advancement of an inserted catheter from the insertion site to an intraluminal stop site at or near the targeted location; delivering a bolus of a magnetic resonance contrast agent through the tip of the catheter and to the intraluminal stop site, wherein the magnetic contrast agent alters the first modified MR image of the subject's blood vessels; acquiring and displaying an updated second MR modified image of the blood vessels at and downstream of the tip of the catheter. Systems and computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions operable to perform computer executable aspects of the present methods are also provided.

Double-contrast technique for MRI-guided vascular interventions

A method to detect the location of a catheter relative to a targeted location in a blood vessel is provided. One example method includes acquiring and displaying magnetic resonance (MR) images while a first MR contrast agent is present and while the operation of that first MR contrast agent is counter-acted by a second MR contrast agent. Both MR contrast agents may be introduced into a blood vessel by the catheter whose position is to be detected.

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Tuebingen, Germany

Frank K Wacker