Real-time MR Guidance for inferior vena cava filter placement in an animal model.

It was the aim of this study to examine the feasibility of real-time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for MR-guided placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, which were placed in five pigs via a femoral approach. The introducer sheath and dilator were marked with Dysprosium rings. The procedures were performed under MR guidance with use of a 1.5-T ACS-NT imager. Radial filling of k-space in conjunction with the sliding window reconstruction technique achieved real-time MR imaging with a frame rate of 20 images/sec. Simultaneous real-time visualization of the vascular anatomy and interventional instruments was achieved under real-time conditions and allowed correct placement of IVC filters in all five cases as confirmed by radiographic angiography.