[Pulse sequences and visualization of instruments]

Transnasal and transsphenoidal MRI-guided biopsies of petroclival tumors

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows excellent tissue characterization in the area of the petroclival region and can depict lesions not visualized with ultrasound or computed tomography (CT). The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical feasibility and utility of an interactive MR-guidance system to target and biopsy tumors in the petroclival region. MRI-guided biopsies of 10 patients with tumors in the clivus and petrous apex were performed in an open 0.5-T MR system. Lesions were targeted through a transsphenoidal or transnasal approach. Imaging during biopsies was achieved by a combination of standard and interactive mode. T1-weighted spin-echo, T2-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE), and three-dimensional T1-weighted gradient-echo (GRE) scans (standard mode) were selected to provide optimal tissue characterization for both the lesion and surrounding structures and varied according to the anatomic site. For interactive imaging, T1-weighted GRE and T2-weighted FSE sequences were used. We performed MRI-guided transsphenoidal biopsies in 10 patients who had lesions identified by CT (n = 5) and/or MRI (n = 10). The indications for biopsies were to differentiate between suspected malignant processes (n = 4 ) and benign processes (n = 6). Lesions adjacent to structures like the internal carotid artery were accurately targeted in particular. All biopsies were performed successfully and were the basis for selection of further treatment. No complications occurred during the procedures. An open MR system allows interactive control of biopsies in the area of the petroclival region, providing maximum patient safety and diagnostic accuracy not possible in other systems. The advantages of MRI tissue characterization are combined with an interactive, one-step method of localization and targeting, as well as tissue sampling. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:3-11.

Open magnetic resonance imaging using titanium-zirconium needles: improved accuracy for interstitial brachytherapy implants?

PURPOSE

To evaluate the benefit of using an open magnetic resonance (MR) machine and new MR-compatible needles to improve the accuracy of brachytherapy implants in pelvic tumors.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The open MR machine, foreseen for interventional procedures, allows direct visualization of the pelvic structures that are to be implanted. For that purpose, we have developed MR- and CT-compatible titanium-zirconium (Ti-Zr) brachytherapy needles that allow implantations to be carried out under the magnetic field. In order to test the technical feasibility of this new approach, stainless steel (SS) and Ti-Zr needles were first compared in a tissue-equivalent phantom. In a second step, two patients implanted with Ti-Zr needles in the brachytherapy operating room were scanned in the open MR machine. In a third phase, four patients were implanted directly under open MR control.

RESULTS

The artifacts induced by both materials were significantly different, strongly favoring the Ti-Zr needles. The implantation in both first patients confirmed the excellent quality of the pictures obtained with the needles in vivo and showed suboptimal implant geometry in both patients. In the next 4 patients, the tumor could be punctured with excellent accuracy, and the adjacent structures could be easily avoided.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that open MR using MR-compatible needles is a very promising tool in brachytherapy, especially for pelvic tumors.

Visualization, tracking, and navigation of instruments for magnetic resonance imaging-guided endovascular procedures

Interventional procedures using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance have increased in interest during the last few years. Central to the success and safety of MRI-guided procedures is the accurate visualization of the interventional instruments relative to the surrounding anatomy. A variety of methodologies for visualizing and automatically tracking instruments, including needles, radiofrequency and laser ablation devices, endoscopes, catheters, and guidewires have been developed and introduced to help the interventionalist to safely guide the device toward the target region. This article describes and compares characteristics of the four most commonly used localization and tracking systems used for MRI-guided interventional procedures: those based on the susceptibility artifact of the device, those that intentionally create field inhomogeneity along the device, those that rely on an optical tracking system, and active tracking systems using micro receive coils.

TE-switched double-contrast enhanced visualization of vascular system and instruments for MR-guided interventions

A visualization principle for MR-guided vascular interventions based on the concerted use of two contrast agents is introduced. The first contrast agent, consisting of small paramagnetic iron oxide particles, was administered intravenously to shorten T(1), and even more so T *(2), of the blood for extended time periods. The second agent, a monomeric gadolinium complex, was added to a solution in an interventional device, such as a percutaneous-transluminal-angioplasty (PTA) balloon, to reduce T(1) with only minor additional effects on T *(2). With appropriate T(1)- and T *(2)-weighting the vascular tree (TE <3 ms) and the device (TE > or =8 ms) could be selectively imaged (TR <20 ms). Potentially, both images could be simultaneously updated in the subsecond range. Whereas a visualization of thin structures like guidewires was found to require pulse-sequence optimization, a successful visualization of a PTA balloon in a swine aorta in vivo was possible with standard sequences.