Related Experiment Videos
MR-guided cholecystostomy: assessment of biplanar, real-time needle tracking in three pigs
S C Göhde1, T Pfammatter, P Steiner
1Department of Medical Radiology, University Hospital Zürich, Rämistrasse 100, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
Purpose:
To demonstrate the feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided cholecystostomy using active, real-time, biplanar MR tracking in animal experiments.
Methods:
Experiments were performed on three fully anesthetized pigs in an interventional MR system (GE open). The gallbladder was displayed in two orthogonal planes using a heavily T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequence. These "cholangio roadmaps" were displayed on LCD monitors positioned in front of the interventionalist. A special coaxial MR-tracking needle, equipped with a small receive-only coil at its tip, was inserted percutaneously into the gallbladder under continuous, biplanar MR guidance. The MR-tracking sequence allowed sampling of the coil (needle tip) position every 120 msec. The position of the coil was projected onto the two orthogonal "cholangio roadmap" images.
Results:
Successful insertion of the needle was confirmed by aspiration of bile from the gallbladder. The process of aspiration and subsequent instillation of Gd-DTPA into the gallbladder was documented with fast gradient-recalled echo imaging.
Conclusion:
Biplanar, active, real-time MR tracking in combination with "cholangio roadmaps" allows for cholecystostomies in an interventional MRI environment.