MRI Compatible Interventional Medical Devices and Related Methods

A method of imaging a portion of a body vessel of a patient using MRI, said method comprising:

• placing a portion of a patient within an MRI system having a scanner such that a portion of said body vessel is located within the scanner;
• grasping a wire guide comprising a continuous core member and a continuous jacket disposed over the entire core member, the core member formed of a metallic material and having a first length and the jacket having a second length that is greater than the first length;
• inserting the distal end of the wire guide into said body vessel;
• advancing the distal end of the wire guide through said body vessel until the distal end of the wire guide is disposed at a first position within a first portion of said body vessel that is located within the scanner of the MRI system;
• operating the scanner of the MRI system to scan the portion of the patient that is positioned within the scanner and that includes the first portion of the body vessel;
• obtaining a magnetic resonance image of the first portion of the body vessel;
• and
• withdrawing the wire guide from the body vessel.