Department of Experimental Physics 5 (Biophysics), Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jun 28;13(1):10472. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37351-2.
Minimally invasive endovascular interventions have become an important tool for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease, peripheral artery disease, and stroke. X-ray fluoroscopy and digital subtraction angiography are used to precisely guide these procedures, but they are associated with radiation exposure for patients and clinical staff. Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging imaging technology using time-varying magnetic fields combined with magnetic nanoparticle tracers for fast and highly sensitive imaging. In recent years, basic experiments have shown that MPI has great potential for cardiovascular applications. However, commercially available MPI scanners were too large and expensive and had a small field of view (FOV) designed for rodents, which limited further translational research. The first human-sized MPI scanner designed specifically for brain imaging showed promising results but had limitations in gradient strength, acquisition time and portability. Here, we present a portable interventional MPI (iMPI) system dedicated for real-time endovascular interventions free of ionizing radiation. It uses a novel field generator approach with a very large FOV and an application-oriented open design enabling hybrid approaches with conventional X-ray-based angiography. The feasibility of a real-time iMPI-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is shown in a realistic dynamic human-sized leg model.
微创血管内介入治疗已成为治疗缺血性心脏病、外周动脉疾病和中风等心血管疾病的重要手段。X 射线荧光透视术和数字减影血管造影术用于精确引导这些手术，但它们会使患者和临床医护人员受到辐射。磁粒子成像（MPI）是一种新兴的成像技术，它使用时变磁场和磁性纳米粒子示踪剂进行快速和高灵敏度的成像。近年来，基础实验表明 MPI 在心脑血管应用方面具有巨大的潜力。然而，商业上可用的 MPI 扫描仪太大且昂贵，并且视场（FOV）专为啮齿动物设计，这限制了进一步的转化研究。第一款专门用于脑成像的人体大小的 MPI 扫描仪显示出了有前景的结果，但在梯度强度、采集时间和便携性方面存在局限性。在这里，我们提出了一种专门用于实时血管内介入、无电离辐射的便携式介入 MPI（iMPI）系统。它使用一种新颖的场发生器方法，具有非常大的 FOV 和面向应用的开放式设计，可实现与传统基于 X 射线的血管造影的混合方法。在逼真的动态人体腿部模型中，显示了实时 iMPI 引导经皮腔内血管成形术（PTA）的可行性。
