Shashank Sathyanarayana1, Michael Schr2,3, Meiyappan Solaiyappan2, Paul Arthur Bottomley1,2
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.