Patent ID: 7623903
Filing Date: 2009-11-24
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the location of a catheter tip relative to a targeted location in a blood vessel of a subject and visualizing blood vessels at or distal to the tip of the catheter, comprising: controlling an apparatus to cause a first magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agent to be injected into a blood vessel through a catheter inserted into the blood vessel; acquiring and displaying a first post-contrast MR image of the blood vessels between an insertion site for the catheter and a targeted location for the catheter; monitoring movement of the catheter; controlling an apparatus to cause a second MR contrast agent to be injected into the blood vessel through the catheter, where the second MR contrast agent inverts the contrast mechanism of the first contrast agent; acquiring and displaying a second post-contrast MR image of the blood vessel between the catheter and the target location, and determining the location of the catheter tip relative to the targeted location in the blood vessel of the subject based, at least in part, on the first post-contrast MR image and the second post-contrast MR image.