A Combined Intravascular MRI Endoscope and Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) Transducer for High-Resolution Image-Guided Ablation.

An intravascular MRI (IMRI) loopless antenna is combined for the first time with an intravascular water-cooled ultrasound ablation transducer as a possible tool for providing high-resolution MRI-guided ablations of pathological tissue via intravascular access. High resolution anatomical MRI, and real-time MRI thermometry were used to monitor ablation delivery in phantoms and tissue specimens. Results show that IMRI can guide IVUS-mediated directional ablation with minimal image artifacts. This permits the monitoring of thermal dose and therapy titration while minimizing potential thermal damage to the vessel wall.