GantryMate: A Modular MR-Compatible Assistance System for MR-Guided Needle Interventions

Tomography. 2019 Jun;5(2):266-273. doi: 10.18383/j.tom.2019.00007.

Abstract

Percutaneous minimally invasive interventions are difficult to perform in closed-bore high-field magnetic resonance systems owing to the limited space between magnet and patient. To enable magnetic resonance-guided needle interventions, we combine a small, patient-mounted assistance system with a real-time instrument tracking sequence based on a phase-only cross-correlation algorithm for marker detection. The assistance system uses 2 movable plates to align an external passive marker with the anatomical target structure. The targeting accuracy is measured in phantom experiments, yielding a precision of 1.7 ± 1.0 mm for target depths up to 38 ± 13 mm. In in vivo experiments, the possibility to track and target static and moving structures is demonstrated.

Keywords: MR-guided interventional procedures; MRI-compatible assistance system; interventional magnetic resonance imaging; percutaneous procedures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Liver / diagnostic imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Interventional / instrumentation*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Interventional / methods*
  • Needles*
  • Phantoms, Imaging*