Cardiac MR-thermometry with integrated catheter drift detection for guidance of ventricular tachycardia ablation

Motivation: MR-thermometry is a promising approach for real-time monitoring of lesion formation during MRI-guided cardiac ablation. However, ablation catheters can potentially drift during ablation and lead to inaccurate lesion formation. Goal(s): To develop a cardiac MR-thermometry sequence with integrated catheter drift detection. Approach: Continuous active tracking modules were added between the cardiac triggered acquisitions of a cardiac MR-thermometry sequence. Low-pass temporal filtering of the active tracking signal was then applied to remove cardiac and respiratory components and estimate catheter drift. This approach was evaluated in a phantom. Results: This study showed that catheter drift detection is possible within active tracking in an MR-thermometry sequence. Impact: This study demonstrates the potential for simultaneous catheter drift detection and cardiac MR-thermometry, which may improve the safety of the procedure and the accuracy of lesion formation. Further evaluation in-vivo is now warranted.