MR-guided endovascular interventions: Susceptibility-based catheter and near-real-time imaging technique

In a 47-year-old healthy male volunteer, susceptibility-based magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in the basilic vein in the right upper arm at 1.5 T. A conventional 3-F nonbraided polyethylene catheter with a 0.3-mm lumen diameter was locally impregnated with dysprosium oxide, and six ringed areas of increased susceptibility were created. Passive tracking of the catheter was performed with near-real-time conventional two-dimensional gradient-echo angiography. The entire prepared part of the catheter was depicted without steering problems or complications. Passive tracking is expected to provide a valuable adjunct to active tracking for guiding endovascular interventions.