Automatic Device Tracking in a Closed-Bore MRI: Principle and Initial Experimental Results on a Robotically Driven Needle

Gregor Thrmer¹, Nikita Garnov¹, Jrgen Haase², Thomas Kahn¹, Michael Moche¹, Harald Busse¹

Localization and tracking of devices in a closed-bore scanner may improve the accuracy and workflow of MR-guided interventions and also reduce a potential user bias. The goal was to evaluate the performance of a novel image-based approach for device tracking which is demonstrated in a phantom experiment with a robotically driven needle inside the magnet. The presented method is based on the automatic localization of wireless MR-visible markers in poorly resolved MR images. Integration of the localization algorithm into a custom-made pulse sequence with interleaved anatomical imaging would provide a relatively simple and safe alternative to other tracking approaches.