Voltage standing wave suppression for MR-guided therapeutic interventions

A medical system comprising:

• a flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and comprising:
• a flexible tubular wall having an interior surface defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface coaxially exposed outside the flexible tubular wall and separated from the interior surface by a wall thickness, between the distal end and the proximal end;
• an antenna coil device coupled to the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall adjacent the distal end of the flexible catheter, the antenna coil device having a tracking portion and an imaging portion, the tracking portion providing localized spatial sensitivity relative to the imaging portion, the tracking portion and imaging portion connected together to transmit combined signal, the combined signal simultaneously comprising a tracking signal and a imaging signal, the combined signal being of a character so that the imaging signal may be distinguished from the tracking signal after their combination at an imaging system to generate an imaging field-of-view forward of the distal end and a location of the distal end;
• a conductive member electrically coupled to the antenna coil device and extending to the proximal end of the flexible catheter along the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall;
• and
• a voltage standing wave suppression device on the exterior surface of the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall;
• whereby the lumen may pass a therapeutic device therein from the proximal end to the distal end without interference from the cable trap or antenna coil device.

A medical system comprising:

• a flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and further comprising:
• a flexible tubular wall having an interior surface defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface coaxially exposed outside the flexible tubular wall and separated from the interior surface by a wall thickness between the distal end and the proximal end;
• an imaging device adjacent to the distal end of the flexible tubular wall and configured to generate an image from a point of view of the distal end of the flexible catheter;
• a tracking device adjacent to the distal end of the flexible tubular wall and configured to generate a location of the distal end of the flexible catheter, the tracking device providing localized spatial sensitivity relative to the imaging device;
• a conductive member electrically coupled to the imaging device and the tracking device and extending to the proximal end of the flexible catheter along the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall, the conductive member adapted to transmit a combined signal from the imaging device and tracking device therealong, the combined signal simultaneously comprising a tracking signal and an imaging signal and being of a character so that the imaging signal may be distinguished from the tracking signal after their combination;
• a proximal cable trap and a distal cable trap electrically coupled to the conductive member, and located on the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall;
• and
• whereby the lumen may pass a therapeutic device therein from the proximal end to the distal end without interference from the cable trap or an antenna coil.

A medical system comprising:

• a flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and further comprising:
• a flexible tubular wall having an interior surface defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface coaxially exposed outside the flexible tubular wall and separated from the interior surface by a wall thickness, between the distal end and the proximal end;
• a antenna coil device coupled to the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall adjacent the distal end of the flexible catheter, the antenna coil device having a tracking portion and an imaging portion, the tracking portion providing localized spatial sensitivity relative to the imaging portion, the tracking portion and imaging portion connected together to transmit a combined signal to an imaging system to generate an image field forward of the distal end, the combined signal simultaneously comprising an imaging signal and a tracking signal, and the combined signal being of a character so that the imaging signal may be distinguished from the tracking signal after their combination;
• an imaging device electrically coupled to the antenna coil device, the imaging device being adapted to transmit the image signal to the imaging system to generate an image from a point of view of the flexible catheter;
• a tracking device electrically coupled to the antenna coil device, the tracking device being adapted to transmit the tracking signal to the imaging device to generate a location of the distal end of the flexible catheter;
• an MR-visible coating applied to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall to allow the respective portion of the flexible catheter to be visualized using magnetic resonance imaging, wherein the MR-visible coating includes at least one of a paramagnetic-metal-ion/ligand complex, a paramagnetic-metal-ion/chelate complex, a cross-linker, a hydrogel, and combinations thereof;
• and
• a proximal cable trap and a distal cable trap electrically coupled to the imaging device, and on the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall, and wherein the proximal cable trap and a distal cable trap suppress the formation of standing voltage waves at the conductive member;
• whereby the lumen may pass a therapeutic device therein from the proximal end to the distal end without interference from the cable trap or antenna coil device.

A medical system comprising:

• a flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and further comprising:
• a flexible tubular wall having an interior surface defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface coaxially exposed outside the inner wall and separated from the inner wall by a wall thickness, between the distal end and proximal end, the flexible catheter being adapted for use within an external field;
• a co-axial conductive member extending from the distal end of the flexible catheter to the proximal end of the flexible catheter, along the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall, the co-axial conductive member adapted to transmitting a combined signal simultaneously comprising an imaging signal and a tracking signal, the combined signal being of a character so that the imaging signal may be distinguished from the tracking signal after their combination;
• and a proximal cable trap and a distal cable trap coupled to the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall, wherein the proximal cable trap and a distal cable trap suppress the formation of standing voltage waves at the co-axial conductive member;
• and
• whereby the lumen may pass a therapeutic device therein from the proximal end to the distal end without interference from the cable trap or an antenna coil.

A medical system comprising:

• a flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and further comprising:
• a flexible tubular wall having an interior surface defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface coaxially exposed outside the inner wall and separated from the inner wall by a wall thickness, between the distal end and proximal end, the flexible catheter being adapted for use within an external field;
• a co-axial conductive member extending from the distal end of the flexible tubular wall to the proximal end of the flexible tubular wall along the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall, the co-axial conductive member adapted to transmitting a combined signal simultaneously comprising an imaging signal and a tracking signal, the combined signal being of a character so that the imaging signal may be distinguished from the tracking signal after their combination;
• a voltage standing wave suppression device coupled to the exterior surface of the flexible tubular wall;
• and
• the lumen configured to pass a therapeutic device therein from the proximal end to the distal end.