Developing an magnetic resonance-compatible catheter for cardiac catheterization

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a means to guide cardiac interventions and provide excellent soft tissue contrast while avoiding radiation hazards. This paper investigates and evaluates a new Magnetic Resonance (MR)-compatible catheter for cardiac catheterization. Important mechanical properties of the catheter are measured and investigated; these include flexibility, pushability, and torquability. The mechanical performance of the MR-compatible and steerable catheter is benchmarked against three commercially-available clinical ablation catheters that are not MR-compatible. The MR-compatibility of the proposed catheter is also evaluated through an experimental study inside a 1.5 T MRI scanner. The new catheter is shown to have a mechanical performance comparable to that of existing catheters while being MR compatible.