Patent ID: 8920826

Claim:
An imaging reference device comprising: an elongated body member having a center axis extending longitudinally through the member, the body member comprising a plurality of open, unplugged pores; an internal space defined within the body member, the internal space disposed substantially parallel to and off-center from the longitudinal center axis; a lumen defined by and extending through the body member, the lumen disposed substantially parallel to and off-center from the longitudinal center axis, the lumen separated from the internal space by an inner wall of the body member; and an imaging agent disposed within the internal space and released into a body of a patient by direct egress through the open, unplugged pores from the internal space, the imaging agent capable of being visualized from outside the body of the patient by use of an imaging system when the device is disposed within the body of the patient; wherein the body member is free from a lumen having a longitudinal axis extending along the longitudinal center axis.