Abstract #0065

Real-Time Intravascular MRI Endoscopy at 3T

Shashank Sathyanarayana¹, Michael Schr^2,3, Meiyappan Solaiyappan², Paul Arthur Bottomley^1,2

¹Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; ²Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; ³Philips Healthcare, Cleveland, OH, USA

RF transmission and reception by modified miniature internal probes can intrinsically localize MRI signals to a sensitive plane locked to the probe-head, analogous to an endoscope. Here, intra-vascular MRI endoscopy is implemented in real-time at 3T in diseased human vessels in-vitro, and in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis in-vivo. Imaging at up to 4 frames-per-second can identify suspect lesions, with high-resolution (≥80m) follow-up. Cine images from the rabbit aorta are rendered in 3D to visualize the advancing probe from its own perspective. MRI endoscopy offers the potential for fast high-resolution intravascular imaging of vascular pathology and morphology.