Heart arrhythmias are very common and 20 patients per day are treated in the Netherlands alone. This procedure is performed with a catheter and monitored with X-ray imaging. However, soft tissue like the heart can be much more reliably seen inside an MRI, so clinical personnel would like to perform the procedure there. Moreover, that would eliminate the harmful x-ray radiation for both patient and operator. Unfortunately, the catheter itself is invisible inside the MRI, making the procedure difficult, especially for novice operators. As such there is a need for visualization of the catheter during the procedure in the MRI.

Optical fibre technology

We propose to embed optical fibre technology inside the catheter with which we can measure the shape of the catheter and make it visible during the procedure inside the MRI. Optical fibre technology is ideal for use in an MRI because it is insensitive to the magnetic field, whereas other shape sensing technologies cannot be used. We will deliver a working prototype that demonstrates the measurement principle of the catheter shape and its accuracy. Where existing solutions are complex and costly, our system will be simple, using commercially available standard components, providing only the needed functionality at minimal costs. The new unique MRI facility of the ablation centre of Haga Hospital in the Hague offers will allow for validating our system in a realistic environment.

Enabling precise medical intervention

The consortium partners, the Photonics research group of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and VanderHoekPhotonics are striving for a positive impact on society with this project. Our proposed catheter visualization technology will impact both patients and operators by enabling precise medical intervention by MRI guided ablation. Operators will benefit from easier practice, faster procedures and less radiation exposure. Patients will benefit as MRI guided ablation is much more precise, allowing operators to target the dysfunctional tissue only and leaving much more healthy tissue in the heart, resulting in faster recovery and higher quality of life.