Characterization of the deflections of a catheter steered using a magnetic resonance imaging system

Purpose: The authors quantify the deflections of a catheter and a guidewire in MR setting with different designs of ferromagnetic tips and a system of high gradient coils which can generate gradients, and thus forces, 20 times larger than a conventional scanner. Methods: Different designs of catheter tips are experimentally tested in an effort to maximize the deflections. One to two ferromagnetic spheres are attached at the distal tip of the catheter (or guidewire) with different spacing between the spheres. The effect of dipole-dipole interaction on the steering of the catheter is studied through experimentation and theoretical modeling. The effect of using many spheres on the artefact generated in fast imaging sequences is also investigated. Results: A catheter and a guidewire are successfully steered by applying magnetic gradients inside a magnetic resonance scanner. More ferromagnetic material allows for larger magnetic forces, however, the use of two ferromagnetic spheres introduces undesired dipole-dipole interactions. Two ferromagnetic spheres generate a single larger artefact as they are close together. Conclusions: By varying the distance between the two ferromagnetic spheres, a balance can be struck between the need to minimize the size of the tip and the undesirable dipole-dipole interaction. (C) 2011 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [DOI: 10.1118/1.3622599]