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This paper shows that even a simple proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller can be used in a clinical MRI system for real-time navigation of a ferromagnetic bead along a predefined trajectory. Although the PID controller has been validated in vivo in the artery of a living animal using a conventional clinical MRI platform, here the rectilinear navigation of a ferromagnetic bead is assessed experimentally along a two-dimensional (2D) path as well as the control of the bead in a pulsatile flow. The experimental results suggest the likelihood of controlling untethered microdevices or robots equipped with a ferromagnetic core inside complex pathways in the human body. Index Terms--Blood vessels, ferromagnetic, magnetic resonance, minimally invasive interventions, real-time control.

A novel magnetic resonance (MR)-tracking method specifically developed to locate the ferromagnetic core of an untethered microdevice, microrobot, or nanorobot for navigation or closed-loop control purpose is described. The tracking method relies on the application of radio-frequency (RF) excitation signals tuned to the equipotential magnetic curves generated by the magnetic signature of the object being tracked. Positive contrast projections are obtained with reference to the position of the magnetic source. A correlation function performed on only one k-space line for each of the three axes and corresponding to three projections, is necessary to obtain a 3-D location of the device. In this study, the effects of the sphere size and the RF frequency offset were investigated in order to find the best contrast noise ratio (CNR) for tracking. Resolution and precision were also investigated by proper measurement of the position of a ferromagnetic sphere by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and by comparing them with the real position. This method is also tested for a moving marker where the positions found by MRI projections were compared with the ones taken with a camera. In vitro and in vivo experiments show the operation of the technique in tortuous phantom and in animal models. Although the method was developed in the prospect of new interventional MR-guided endovascular operations based on miniature untethered devices, it could also be used as a passive tracking method using tools such as catheters or guide wires. Index Terms--Ferromagnetic core tracking, interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic dipole, medical nanorobots, passive tracking, radio-frequency (RF) excitation frequencies.

This paper reports the use of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to propel a ferromagnetic core. The concept was studied for future development of microdevices designed to perform minimally invasive interventions in remote sites accessible through the human cardiovascular system. A mathematical model is described taking into account various parameters such as the size of blood vessels, the velocities and viscous properties of blood, the magnetic properties of the materials, the characteristics of MRI gradient coils, as well as the ratio between the diameter of a spherical core and the diameter of the blood vessels. The concept of magnetic propulsion by MRI is validated experimentally by measuring the flow velocities that magnetized spheres (carbon steel 1010/1020) can withstand inside cylindrical tubes under the different magnetic forces created with a Siemens Magnetom Vision 1.5 T MRI system. The differences between the velocities predicted by the theoretical model and the experiments are approximately 10%. The results indicate that with the technology available today for gradient coils used in clinical MRI systems, it is possible to generate sufficient gradients to propel a ferromagnetic sphere in the larger sections of the arterial system. In other words, the results show that in the larger blood vessels where the diameter of the microdevices could be as large as a couple a millimeters, the few tens of mT/m of gradients required for displacement against the relatively high blood flow rate is well within the limits of clinical MRI systems. On the other hand, although propulsion of a ferromagnetic core with diameter of ~ 600 [micro]m may be possible with existing clinical MRI systems, gradient amplitudes of several T/m would be required to propel a much smaller ferromagnetic core in small vessels such as capillaries and additional gradient coils would be required to upgrade existing MRI systems for operations at such a scale. Index Terms--Blood vessels, ferromagnetic, magnetic gradients, magnetic resonance imaging system, microdevice, propulsion.

A study of magnetic aggregation in the context of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based actuated targeting is proposed. MRI systems can induce displacement forces on magnetized particles as they flow through the blood vessels. Magnetic aggregation of the particles happens when they are placed within the magnetic field of the MRI system and can greatly influence the MRI steering dynamics of magnetic particles. In this paper, a review of the different parameters that can be used to tailor the size, geometry, stiffness, and density of magnetic aggregates is proposed. Then, magnetic aggregation experiments on a suspension of Fe3O4 microparticles ranging from 0.1 to 100 μm in diameter are described. The effects of particle concentration, flow rate, and magnetic field amplitude were evaluated. Field amplitudes of 1.5 mT, 0.4 T, and 1.5 T fields were applied without any magnetic steering gradients and caused aggregates that could sometimes exceed 1 mm in length. Since magnetic aggregates can reach higher magnetophoretic velocities than individual particles, large aggregates could be exploited in larger arteries with important blood flows. A few strategies are discussed to assist in the design of MRI steering experiments by enhancing the positive effects of magnetic aggregation over its negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To characterize peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil that is compatible with a commercial high-channel-count receive-only array. Methods Two prototypes of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil set with a 42-cm inner diameter were constructed for brain imaging at 3T with maximum performance specifications of up to 85 mT/m and 708 T/m/s. Tests were performed in 24 volunteers to measure PNS thresholds with the transverse (x = left-right; y = anterior-posterior [A/P]) gradient coils of both prototypes. Fourteen of these 24 volunteers were also tested for the z-gradient PNS in the second prototype and were scanned with high-slew-rate echo planar imaging (EPI) immediately after the PNS tests. Results For both prototypes, the y-gradient PNS threshold was markedly higher than the x-gradient threshold. The z-gradient threshold was intermediate between those for the x- and y-coils. Of the 24 volunteers, only two experienced y-gradient PNS at 80 mT/m and 500 T/m/s. All volunteers underwent the EPI scan without PNS when the readout direction was set to A/P. Conclusion Measured PNS characteristics of asymmetric head-only gradient coil prototypes indicate that such coils, especially in the A/P direction, can be used for fast EPI readout in high-performance neuroimaging scans with substantially reduced PNS concerns compared with conventional whole body gradient coils. Magn Reson Med 76:1939-1950, 2016. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient coils generate a magnetic field with a linear spatial variation that superimposes over the main magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system; such superimposition of the magnetic fields enables the encoding of the spatial position in MRI. A rapid change in the gradient field induces eddy currents in the conducting structures of an MRI system, resulting in the production of image artifacts. An objective of the gradient coil design phase is to predict both the coil's performance with respect to eddy currents and the image quality (IQ) before the coil is manufactured. In this paper, an integrated simulation environment is presented that combines the gradient coil design with an image formation simulation to predict the IQ. Here, an unshielded, uni-planar gradient set was simulated. Further, a study was conducted to determine the effect of frequency on the eddy currents induced in the conducting structures of the main magnet coil while exciting the uni-planar gradient set. The knowledge acquired from this study was applied to the IQ simulation, and a time-dependent simulation of a gradient echo pulse sequence was performed. The IQ of the uni-planar gradient set was predicted, and the input and reference images as well the images distorted by the eddy currents are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Magnetic Resonance Submarine (MR-Sub) project is a first attempt to validate a new propulsion method for future small magnetically controlled microdevices suited for minimally invasive applications in blood vessels. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system provides the driving force in three dimensions to a ferromagnetic core that could be embedded onto a specialised microdevice. The paper describes preliminary tests made to match the magnetic force induced by an MRI system on a ferromagnetic sphere with the drag force it encompasses in a cylindrical tube. These tests provide a proof of concept demonstrating that this new method of propulsion is very promising within the constraints of such types of operations. This conclusion is based on specific measurements showing that 1010/1020 carbon steel spheres (3.175 mm and 2.381 mm in diameter) can withstand a maximum flow of 0.370±0.0064 l/min (19.5 cm/s) and 0.311±0.01209 l/min (16.4 cm/s) respectively when placed inside a 6.35 mm diameter PMMA tube and subjected to a 18 mT/m magnetic field gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]